Washington 8, Florida 0

The University of Washington women's softballers are one win away from a national championship after spanking Florida tonight.

Sorry to compare Husky softball to Mariner baseball, but this game reminded us so much of the Mariners' 1995 one-game divisional playoff win, we have to mention it. Each game had:

-- A bizarre play on which four runs score. You'll remember Luis Sojo's "everybody scores" double. For the Huskies', a Jenn Salling line-drive single to center plated two, then Florida's catcher overthrew trying to stop Salling from advancing to second. With the Florida centerfielder stationed near second base after the hit, the ball went over her head all the way to the centerfield wall, allowing Salling to score just as Sojo did.

-- A dominating pitching performance by the team's ace. Even though the Huskies, like the M's, won by eight runs, the outcome of the game wasn't in doubt after the fateful play. Four runs was more than enough. Washington ace Danielle Lawrie (r.) dominated Florida, striking out the side in the first inning and allowing only two balls to be hit out of the infield. Lawrie's arm strength was in question after she'd pitched two games on Sunday; she put those doubts to rest with a 70 mph strike on her first pitch of the game. Like Big Unit in '95, she finished the game with 12 strikeouts. Like Johnson, she got her 12th K on the game's final batter.

-- A terrific showing by the top of the order. In '95, Vince Coleman and Luis Sojo were 4-8, and had the game's first four RBI. The Huskies' Ashley Charters and Kimi Pohlman reached base on all eight of their plate appearances. Charters had two runs and hit a two-run homer; with her speed and flashes of power, she's very reminiscent of another Mariner #51, Ichiro.

Game 2 is Tuesday at 5 p.m., it'll be televised on ESPN2.

Photo via University of Washington athletics