The parallels are similar.
The year was 2021. In front of a record setting sell-out crowd of 2,696 (7,997 for the weekend), the magical season of the Missouri Tigers (42-17, their best record since 2016) continued as they faced off against the James Madison Dukes, led by bionic woman Odicci Alexander and her beloved catcher Lauren Bernett (rest easy, Lauren). Despite the Tigers’ best efforts, however, they saw their season end just one win shy of making the Women’s College World Series and had to watch another team make their first. In hindsight, given what happened afterwards (see link), I’ve come to terms with the result and am okay with them having their moment.