Oklahoma sweeps Texas in WCWS final, completes first-ever four-peat
Entering the season, Oklahoma set to do something no other NCAA softball team has done. Patty Gasso and the Sooners had visions of a four-peat dancing in their heads, and that journey ran through top-seeded Texas in the Women’s College World Series championship.
OU took a 1-0 lead in the Best of 3 series Wednesday night, meaning the No. 2-seeded Sooners had a chance to win an unprecedented fourth straight title Thursday at Devon Park in Oklahoma City. But Texas looked to play spoiler and send the series to a decisive Game 3.
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Ultimately, it was Gasso holding up the national championship trophy – her eighth – as Oklahoma got the 8-4 victory. She joins the likes of Geno Auriemma and John Wooden with four straight NCAA titles, but is the first-ever softball coach to pull it off.
The second Red River Rivalry championship series in three years had no shortage of storylines. After all, Texas won the regular season series against Oklahoma for the first time since 2009, which helped Mike White’s crew come in as the top team in the tournament. But a rivalry matchup with history on the line added even more intrigue.
It got even more interesting in the top of the sixth inning when Texas loaded the bases. That’s when Mia Scott reached on an error, making it a 5-4 ballgame. However, she drifted just far enough off first base to get picked off before Viviana Martinez could come up with the tying run on third.
That meant Oklahoma took a 5-4 lead into the bottom of the sixth, and the Sooners capitalized. They scored three runs on Citlaly Gutierrez to extend the advantage to 8-4, and it was enough to bring home another championship.
How it happened: Oklahoma wins 4th straight WCWS
With a one-game advantage, Oklahoma went with an interesting approach in the circle Thursday night.
After Kelly Maxwell threw 267 pitches over two days, Gasso opted for a pitcher-by-committee approach, starting with Liberty transfer Karlie Keeney. Texas got to her right away as Kayden Henry put the Longhorns ahead 1-0 with an RBI single in the second inning.
But Oklahoma responded quickly. Kasidi Pickering, just as she’s done all tournament long, came up with the big swing to put the Sooners out in front, 2-1, in the bottom of the second. But Texas kept chipping away, scoring a run in both the third and fourth innings to re-take the 3-2 lead heading into the fourth inning.
Then, OU got another big knock. Cydney Sanders came up in the bottom of the fourth and cleared the bases on a double to center field, helping the Sooners take control with a 5-3 lead into the fifth inning. After Paytn Monticelli and Kierston Deal came in to relieve Keeney, it was time for Nicole May to take over, and she dazzled.
May mowed the Longhorns hitters down 1-2-3 in the fifth, and struck out four of the seven batters she faced. But with two outs in the sixth inning, Gasso turned to her ace, bringing in Maxwell – the record fifth pitcher of the night for Oklahoma – to try and close it out. After Scott’s mistake got Oklahoma out of the inning, the Sooners gave Maxwell more of a cushion.
It was only fitting their ace got the final three outs, putting Oklahoma in a class of its own with four straight national championships.