2015 NCAA Softball Championship - GatorZone.com
Joan Joyce, Head Coach, Florida Atlantic
How would you describe the game today?
?Well, ?it was just another war with Hofstra. We?ve played them four times this year and three of them have gone extra innings. The game the other night was a 1-0 game one in the sixth inning, so that?s the kind of games they are. Something really good about Hofstra is they played good ball. They are very solid fundamentally, so you can?t make them make a mistake. The two teams play exactly the same way. Neither team is going to give up. They both played hard every time until somebody gets the two hits. They have good pitching, we have good pitching. The two teams are so similar, it?s almost scary.?
How did you feel about having to play back-to-back games today?
?We came here to play, so we?re going to have to play some more games. This team will come off fighting tomorrow. They didn?t quit today and they are not going to quit tomorrow.?
Alex Miller, C, Florida Atlantic
What kind of pitch were you looking for in that situation when you got your game-winning hit?
?In that situation [extra Innings], I was looking for a pitch in the outside half to move our runners around to second and third to get a runner closer to 60 feet, and I ended up getting the pitch I was looking for so I was able to drive it to the right side.?
How does it feel to have the game-winning hit?
?It feels amazing after playing such a hard game yesterday, and our team fighting so hard today. It was good to be able to pull through for our team and give that to our team.?
How do you feel about playing Florida at their home field tomorrow?
?We have nothing to lose. We aren?t scared of anybody. We are going to come out and play hard like we do every game, and be a team and play for each other and try our best. Then we will see what happens.?
Larissa Anderson, Head Coach, Hofstra
Opening Statement:
?Florida Atlantic is a quality team, and they play the game right. They play the game hard. I?m very, very proud of the game we played. It?s tough that someone had to lose, it really is because [in] a game like that you hate to see a loser. Just overall, I?m very, very proud of our team and the way we competed all season long. No one felt we would be here, and that is exactly what I told the team at the end of the game. No one felt we would be here. And I am just unbelievably proud at just how this team competed all the way through the year to get us to this position we are in.?
On her feelings as the season ends:
?I just want to say that it is so hard for these players, because they go into this not expecting to lose in any way. They go into a game thinking they are going to win a national championship and never in their heart or in their effort do they ever go and play on the field thinking that they are going to lose a game. So it is devastating for me to see that we have three seniors here that will never be able to set foot on the field with this team again. It?s tough because they work so hard for four years to get an opportunity.?
Morgan Lashley, P, Hofstra
On how she felt going into the ninth:
?I felt great. I was just going out there taking it a pitch at a time. Coach always tells us just play that pitch. I was just going one pitch at a time. I was just thinking, get a good swing. Let my defense work because I have all the faith in the world. And sometimes the ball doesn?t roll our way, but I was very happy with the season and the game. I knew that walking off that field I gave it my 150%. Every single person around me gave it 150% and there is nothing else we can do. Sometimes the ball doesn?t roll our way and that is why we play the game.?
Lacey Clark, IF, Hofstra
On reflecting on the season:
?We are such a close team. We got upset that we lost, but we can?t be upset about anything else. We did the absolute unthinkable. We are such a family and I am have never been so proud to be on a team like I am right now.?
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