Sandercock's stability in the circle guides Florida State softball to Super Regional

Kathryn Sandercock knew the entire time she had a perfect game in the balance Sunday.

"I know when it's going on and I know when something happens, and I'm like 'Oh, there it goes'," she said.

Florida State led South Carolina 1-0 with the Gamecocks down to their final out in the top of the seventh inning at JoAnne Graf Field. Sandercock had not allowed a hit, run, or walk and the Seminoles had not committed an error.

In fact, the Gamecocks had not hit a ball that left the infield.

Sandercock's 59th pitch of the game − 46 pitches were strikes −hopped off the bat of Riley Blampied to FSU second baseman Devyn Flaherty. Flaherty fielded the ground ball cleanly and fired a strike to first baseman Bethaney Keen for Keen's 16th putout of the day.

Sandercock in the center circle, jumped up in down in jubilation as she was mobbed by her teammates. It was her first-collegiate perfect game, and the Seminoles' first in the NCAA Tournament. It was also FSU's first solo perfect game since Meghan King did it on March 12, 2016, against Tulsa.

The victory advanced FSU into this weekend's best-of-three Super Regional against visiting Georgia starting Thursday at 7 p.m.

"Being a fifth-year senior, it's just freeing knowing that you want to leave everything out on the field," Sandercock said. "I think we knew how much we had to lose and I wasn't going to give an inch. I just wanted to go out there and I wanted to be me. I wanted to be confident."

"If this was the last day I'd get to put the jersey on, I wasn't going to go out nervous and eternal. It was freeing. It allowed me to go out there and compete."

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Keeping her groove

There was a lot of pressure on FSU in Sunday's winner-take-all game.

The Seminoles had dropped their first game against the Gamecocks, 4-0, and pitcher Donnie Gobourne retired 18 straight hitters to end the game. It was also hard not to compare it to what happened to the Seminoles last season in the Tallahassee Regional.

In fact, it was FSU's first shutout loss since that game-one loss to Mississippi State, 5-0, last spring in the regional championship round. However, head coach Lonni Alameda said this time around there were fewer excuses and more of a relaxed attitude going into the elimination game.

"I wouldn't say it was finger pointing but we were looking for excuses instead of taking it to ourselves," Alameda said. "That's what we learned. So what, who cares? So what it's a weather delay? So what the umpire is calling in? We talk about it a lot, but to actually do it as a mindset is tough to do. That's what we tried to get this year."

Through four and a half innings, Sandercock was perfect and had up four strikeouts. Then the rain came. In the bottom of the fifth, the tarp came on and sent both teams to their locker rooms for about 40 minutes until the all-clear was issued.

In that time, Sandercock didn't let her nerves or thoughts get the best of her.

She kept her arm warm in the bullpen, focused on what she could eat to stay energized, stayed hydrated, and even did some yoga.

"I was trying to stay calm basically," Sandercock said. "I went into the locker room for a few minutes and once I got in they were pulling the tarp off. I just wanted to stay calm and collected. I stayed in the bullpen for most of the game 'cause I didn't want my emotions to get too high in the dugout."

Her first pitch after the delay was a strike, quite literally picking up where she had left off.

"This is the first time we faced her [Sandercock] this year and her drop is tough," South Carolina head coach Beverly Smith said. "I don't know if we had any balls out of the infield today. She can hit the command and she can hit locations, and I just thought her drop ball was really on today."

A moment years in the making

The last time Sandercock threw a perfect game was in 2018 while playing for Bishop O'Connell in Arlington, Virginia as a senior. Against Potomac School, she held the Panthers scoreless, and hitless, striking out nine batters. It was one of only two losses for Potomac School that season.

It was one of two perfect games in her season as she struck out 10 batters over five innings in a perfect game against Our Lady of Good Counsel.

Five years later on the national stage, she's got it done in the biggest game of her career. She also had a no-hitter earlier this season in a 10-0 win over Syracuse.

Sandercock gives credit to the defense behind her as well for helping her get it done. FSU's infielders had 21 putouts and did not let the Gamecocks duplicate their offense from earlier that day. The Seminoles' defense was locked in and only excelled as the lights got brighter.

"I think our defense is so good. They make the spectacular plays look so easy," Sandercock said. "Josie [Muffley] going to her knees to get someone out is awesome. That one hyped me up. We're so good we make it look easy. That's the most locked-in the infield has ever been.

"It was every single pitch eyeing each other up. I've got you and you've got me. It was a really awesome feel out there."

Jack Williams covers Florida State athletics for Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at jwilliams@tallahassee.com or on Twitter @jackgwilliams.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU pitcher Sandercock's perfection sends Seminoles to Super Regional