Courtney Senas
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Mililani graduate Courtney Senas hit a two-run walk-off home run to give Florida State a 4-2 win over Michigan in the NCAA Super Regionals on Friday, sending the Seminoles to the Women’s College World Series for the first time since 2004.
"I was trying to feel myself step and then throw my hands," Senas said in a video posted on Seminoles.com "When it went over I was so happy."
Florida State, the eighth seed in the NCAA softball tournament, lost 17-3 on Thursday in the opening game of the best-of-three series and needed two wins on Friday to advance to the WCWS. Senas hit a solo homer in a 6-0 FSU win that forced a decisive third game at JoAnne Graf Field in Tallahassee, Fla.
The Seminoles trailed 2-1 in the bottom of the fifth inning when Senas was credited with an infield double that drove in the tying run. Her pop-up hit off the glove of Michigan pitcher Haylie Wagner as she ran toward the first-base foul line and rolled toward the Wolverines’ dugout, allowing Tiffani Brown to score from first.
Senas came up again with two out and a runner on first in the bottom of the seventh and sent the Seminoles to Oklahoma City by launching the 36th homer of her career and 15th of the season.
"She’s been fighting and fighting and fighting to be confident in moments to win ballgames for us," FSU coach Lonni Alameda said. "It was pretty cool. Right when it was hit I fell to the ground, like ‘Oh my gosh we just did this.’ "
Senas, a senior center fielder from Wahiawa, also threw a runner out at the plate in the top of the fifth and went 5-for-8 and drove in four runs in the doubleheader.
Two more graduates of Hawaii high schools open Super Regional play on Saturday. Karine Shaver (Kamehameha) is the starting second baseman for top-seeded Oregon, which hosts Minnesota. Mysha Sataraka (Punahou) leads third-seeded UCLA with 16 home runs heading into its series against Kentucky.
The WCWS opens Thursday in Oklahoma City.