The Texas Longhorns came to play in game two of the Women’s College World Series championship series. An excellent start by Estelle Czech kept the Sooners’ bats off balance for the first three innings, keeping Oklahoma scoreless. But just like death and taxes, the Oklahoma offense is inevitable.
The defense carried Oklahoma in the early frames, keeping the Longhorns from putting together far bigger innings than the two runs they got in the first inning.
Jayda Coleman came through with arguably the defensive play of the Women’s College World Series, when she skied above the fence to rob Courtney Day of what would have been a two-run home run to end the first inning for the Longhorns.
Jayda Coleman robbed this HR 🤯
(via @NCAASoftball)pic.twitter.com/0fBonSlVV1
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 10, 2022
Jordy Bahl, getting the start settled in after that, limiting Texas to just three base runners over the next three innings.
Oklahoma rewarded Bahl’s bounce-back effort after a rough first inning by tying the game in the fourth before the Sooners erupted for four runs in both the fifth and sixth innings.
In the four-run fifth, the Sooners put on a clinic on how to hit with two outs. Jayda Coleman and Jocelyn Alo were retired on long fly balls, but it was evidence that the Sooners were beginning to get a bead on what Czech was throwing. Tiare Jennings then kicked off a rally with a two-out single. Grace Lyons moved her to second after getting hit by a pitch. Then Alyssa Brito followed that with a double to score Jennings and put two on with two outs for Kinzie Hansen. Hansen, who hadn’t hit a home run since mid-April turned on an inside pitch to launch a three-run home run into the left field stands.
That made the game 6-2 and the Sooners were in complete control and didn’t stop there. Nicole May continued her strong relief efforts for the Sooners by retiring the Longhorns in order in the top of the fifth.
In the top of the sixth, the Sooners put four more runs on the board in a sixth inning kickstarted by Rylie Boone from the No. 9 hole. Boone singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Jayda Coleman walked to put two on for Jocelyn Alo who followed with a single to load the bases for Tiare Jennings. Jennings drove Boone in with a sacrifice fly and then Grace Lyons cleared the bases with a three-run home run to give the Sooners a 10-2 lead.
May threw another strong sixth inning, allowing just a hit before retiring the side.
In the seventh, the Sooners’ bats went quietly, but in the bottom half of the inning was electric.
Jocelyn Alo entered the game for a rare appearance in left field and got the first two put outs before Patty Gasso lifted her for the curtain call to end her Oklahoma Sooners career.
Texas didn’t go quietly into the night as Hope Trautwein struggled with her command in her final appearance for the Oklahoma Sooners. Texas’ Mia Scott came in and hit a three-run home run to cut the lead to 10-5 with two outs remaining. After another walk, Trautwein settled in and threw strikes, getting Alyssa Washington to ground out to Tiare Jennings.
Patty Gasso and the Oklahoma Sooners now have six national championships in program history and five in the last nine seasons.
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