For the second day, the Sooners opened their Super Regional matchup with UCF with a run in the first inning and then exploded in the middle frames to pick up the win.
With their 7-1 win over the Knights, the Sooners advance to the Women’s College World Series for the sixth straight year and 12th time in program history.
Nicole May pitched seven innings, picking up the complete-game win and the Sooners got four home runs Grace Lyons, who hit two, Jocelyn Alo, and Jana Johns.
Alo’s home run put a perfect stamp on a storied career. In what would be her final at-bat at Marita Hynes Field, the reigning National Player of the Year closed her career at home the way she started it, clearing the Marita Hynes fences.
After rounding the bases, Sooners fans continued standing, offering the OU legend a lengthy ovation. Alo answered the curtain call, waving to Sooner Nation to show her appreciation in her final game at home.
Jocelyn Alo put an exclamation point on a fantastic career in Norman as the Sooners continue their national title pursuit in the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City.
Though the 2022 season has been much about Jocelyn Alo’s last ride with the Sooners, Grace Lyons continues to be the biggest revelation of the year. Her two home runs and four RBIs proved to be the difference in the ball game.
Lyons now has 21 home runs on the season, joining Alo and Tiare Jennings to form the only trio in the nation with 20 or more home runs in 2022. Arkansas is the only other team that can boast multiple players in the 20-homer club.
May’s day started out rocky as she was forced to work around base runners in the early going before settling in to control the UCF lineup while the Sooners’ bats struggled to push runners around to home plate.
May and Hope Trautwein have been clutch for the Oklahoma Sooners since the Big 12 tournament, allowing Patty Gasso to rest Jordy Bahl. As the Sooners get ready for the College World Series, Bahl will have had three weeks of rest to recover from the soreness that’s kept her out.
It’s truly been a team performance for the Sooners who improved to 54-2 on the season and have allowed just three runs in NCAA tournament play, outscoring their opponents 52-3 this postseason. As they await the remainder of the Super Regional results, Oklahoma knows that Big 12 foes Texas and Oklahoma State will be joining them in Oklahoma City. The Longhorns and the Cowgirls are the only teams to get a win over the Sooners, though Oklahoma won the season series against the talented rivals.
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