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Florida beats Alabama 6-3 to win national title

By WTOP Staff

CLIFF BRUNT
AP Sports Writer

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Florida coach Tim Walton took a chance, and it paid off and helped Florida win its first NCAA softball championship.

Walton chose not to start ace pitcher Hannah Rogers, but she entered the game in the sixth inning after Lauren Haeger and freshman Delanie Gourley handed her a lead. Rogers gave up one run in two innings and earned the save as the Gators defeated Alabama 6-3 on Tuesday night to sweep the best-of-three championship series.

Walton told Haeger Monday night that she would start Tuesday, and Walton said he didn’t sleep well afterward because Rogers had been nearly untouchable during postseason play. He still thought the decision made sense because he felt depth was important in a best-of-three series, and he was confident in the rest of his staff.

“Hannah was just on fire, and to take her out of this game and to throw the other two, I know was gutsy, and I know it was bold,” Walton said. “But we’ve talked all year long — we don’t have a superstar on our team. We have a bunch of players who do their job, and today was a tribute to that. We got a Lauren-quality start, and Delaney gets the ‘W,’ and Hannah gets the save.”

He has at least one superstar. Rogers was named the tournament’s most outstanding player after going 4-0 in five appearances at the World Series and posting a 1.00 earned run average.

Alabama’s Jackie Traina, one of the nation’s best pitchers, gave up five runs in 1 1-3 innings before getting pulled for Alabama (53-13). Walton didn’t start Rogers on Tuesday for fear that what happened to Traina would happen to his ace. The Gators had some success against Traina in Game 1 on Monday and started figuring things out. Tuesday was Traina’s shortest start of the year.

“We’ve seen her (Traina) a lot, and we think that was kind of beneficial to us,” Walton said. “We got a lot of runs off of her after we faced her yesterday, and I think that could have been the same result if we started Hannah. Back-to-back days against good hitting teams that use video and have smart coaches — they’re going to make adjustments.”

Florida, the national runner-up in 2009 and 2011, beat its Southeastern Conference rival despite committing four errors and giving Alabama (53-13) plenty of chances to score.

“We just couldn’t get that big inning,” Alabama coach Patrick Murphy said. “We hit into way too many double plays — you know — unlucky. But I’m really pleased with my team. I thought it was one of the easiest teams I’ve ever had to coach.”

It looked early as though Walton’s decision to start Haeger would backfire. After getting just one hit in the first six innings Monday against Rogers, Alabama got singles from Haylie McCleney and Kallie Case in its first two at bats on Tuesday. Jadyn Spencer singled to knock in McCleney, giving Alabama its first run of the championship series. But that was the only run Alabama got out of the three-hit inning.

In the bottom of the first, Florida’s Stephanie Tofft cranked a 2-2 pitch with two outs over the left-field fence to tie the score. Traina threw 34 pitches in the first inning.

Florida’s Kelsey Stewart knocked in Aubree Munro to give the Gators a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the second. After that, Kirsti Merritt hit a 3-run homer to push the lead to 5-1 and chase Traina. It was Traina’s shortest start of the year.

Alabama’s Kaila Hunt hit a solo shot in the top of the third to trim Florida’s lead to 5-2.

Haeger lasted three innings before giving way to Gourley. After an error, Alabama had runners on second and third with no outs. McCleney walked to load the bases with two outs, but the Gators again escaped unscathed.

Rogers entered the game in the top of the sixth and pitched a perfect inning. Florida gave her an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth to make it 6-2.

Florida’s Merritt made a spectacular diving catch in center field for the first out in the top of the seventh. McCleney tripled with one out in the top of the seventh, and Hunt knocked her in with two outs, but that’s all the Crimson Tide got out of the inning.

“We all want to end our career with a win,” Hunt said. “But the biggest thing I’m going to take away from this is the relationships and the friendships that I’ve built over the past four years with these people, because it’s not going to matter in 20 years whether I ended my career with a win or not.”

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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