2021 WOMEN'S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES

June 8, 2021

Mackenzie Donihoo

Nicole Mendes

Oklahoma Sooners

Postgame Press Conference

Florida State - 8, Oklahoma - 4

Q. Simply put, what needs to happen for you guys to win these next two games?

NICOLE MENDES: Take advantage of the first three innings. I felt us on them. I felt them pressing. And I felt the momentum in our favor but we just took too long to respond. But I think this team whenever we lose we don't lose again. And I think we're ready.

MACKENZIE DONIHOO: I'd say we need to come out and flip the switch. As Nicole said, it's hard to beat us twice. Tomorrow it's all or nothing and we've got to flip the switch.

Q. Along the lines to both of you, how did you feel you came out today? Did you feel y'all were flat after facing elimination in each of these last four games, or was it just Watson doing well to slow the offense down?

MACKENZIE DONIHOO: I don't think that we were quite ready the first three innings and those first three innings are really important, but tomorrow it's a whole new game. First few innings we're going to come out and flip the switch.

NICOLE MENDES: I just felt like we waited. We were just waiting for somebody to get a big hit, waiting for something to happen instead of attacking. So tomorrow whenever we play, we come out and we come attacking we'll score in the first three.

Q. Along those lines, how do you ensure you're not coming out too hot tomorrow and pressing yourselves while still trying to have that quicker start?

NICOLE MENDES: I think it's just confidence in knowing what we can do at the plate and knowing that whenever we attack, I don't think we over-press. I think whenever we come out hot, we come out hot. And we're in control of our swings. We're in control of the pace of the game. So I think that's really important.

MACKENZIE DONIHOO: Getting ourselves, I felt like we were pressing, pressing and we weren't being ourselves. When we're more ourselves it's hard to stop us.

Q. You guys are a great offensive team but you haven't started great in just about any game out here. So, Nicole and Mack, I'm just curious, what's going on there? And can you turn it around and change it in one day?

MACKENZIE DONIHOO: Absolutely, and we've already seen two of their pitchers. And I believe we can come out and see those again and the next one I believe that we're made for this.

NICOLE MENDES: I think it's all in the first three. I think if we come out in the first three, our offense definitely gets a lot more looks in the lineup. And getting a second go-around in the lineup with the first three is a lot more helpful than waiting for the fourth inning. So I think that's kind of our mindset is make sure we get base runners on, score early, score often.

Q. Nicole, you just talked about it, not losing twice and feeling like you guys can bounce back. This is a spot you've been in this tournament quite a bit, where you had to win four in a row. Just how comfortable are you knowing that you again have your backs against the wall you have to win the next two games?

NICOLE MENDES: I choose this team no matter what. This team is one of the most talented teams that I've ever been a part of. And we know how to fight. So I think tomorrow whenever we come out, it's not just our backs are against the wall, it's I know who is on my team. I know who is in my lineup. I know who can come in and pinch-hit. And I know who is in our bullpen.

And I see that and I'm, like, this is the team I want to go with. This is the team that can do it. So that's what I see whenever I think of tomorrow. And that's why I feel like we won't be pressing. We'll be determined but we won't be pressing. We'll be ready.

MACKENZIE DONIHOO: 100 percent what Mendy said. I wouldn't pick any other girls to go out there and play on the field. They're my sisters and I know we're going to go battle tomorrow and forget what happened.

Q. Obviously what you need to do you've done already three times this year which is after a loss beating that same team multiple times. Does that allow you guys to draw confidence from that? What have you learned from making adjustments after losing to a team coming back and beating them multiple times that you can apply this time around?

MACKENZIE DONIHOO: I would say that we are -- I don't even know. We're going to come out tomorrow and it's not easy to beat a team twice. So we're going to come out tomorrow and give it all that we have.

NICOLE MENDES: I just think that with that experience comes confidence. And, again, I'll go back to this team. Who is on this team is ridiculous. We're ridiculous. And I think that been there, doing that already earlier in the year has prepared us for this. And I just think that whenever we come out and play our game, it definitely gives us a level of confidence.