Oklahoma 13 - Northwestern 2 (9)
Oklahoma 7 - Texas 2
Oklahoma 3 - UCLA 7
Oklahoma 15 - UCLA 0 (5)
OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma was back at their home away from home at USA Hall of Fame Stadium for the 2022 Women's College World Series.
The first matchup was the No. 9 ranked Northwestern Wildcats out of the Big 10. After two scoreless innings, the ‘Cats struck first when Rachel Lewis snuck a ball over the center-field wall to make it 1-0.
It did not take long for the Sooner bats to respond when, in the bottom of the inning, Jana Johns doubled in a sliding Rylie Boone to tie up the game. Jayda Coleman then singled to get on base, and after a walk to Jocelyn Alo, it set the stage for Tiare Jennings to blast a ball over the wall to make it 5-1 OU on the grand slam.
Sooners tacked on one more run as Boone drove in Grace Lyons to make it 6-1. After a shutdown inning on defense, Oklahoma was ready to make more noise at the plate. Lyons started it off when she singled in a pair to make it 7-1. Boone then wore a pitch to drive in a run.
Lightning struck twice when Johns deposited a ball into the right field stands for the Sooners second grand slam of the game to make it 13-1.
Northwestern was able to get one run back but eventually fell to OU in run-rule fashion.
Next was Red River Rivalry Revisited as the Sooners took on the white-hot Texas Longhorns.
Alo put her mark on this game early as she drove a pitch over the left-field wall in the first inning to make it 2-0 Sooners.
’Horns got one back when Alyssa Washington doubled in Mia Scott to make it 2-1 in favor of OU.
Sooner bats jolted back to life in the fifth inning when Coleman, Alo, and Jennings all had RBIs to make it 6-1. After Alyssa Brito made it 7-1 in the top of the seventh inning, Texas was able to get one run back when Janae Jefferson homered to right field to make it 7-2.
In the end, OU held on and put themselves one win away from heading to their fifth Championship Series in the past six years.
In the National Semifinal, the Sooners met a familiar foe in the UCLA Bruins, who beat the Sooners for the crown back in 2019.
Delanie Wisz got the Bruins out to a fast start when she had a two-run shot to put her team in front 2-0. OU answered right back when Jayda Coleman hit a long ball to cut the deficit down to one.
In the third inning, Maya Brady, niece of seven-time Super Bowl champ Tom Brady, got a hold of a pitch and drove it into the bleachers for a three-run home run to make it 5-1 Bruins.
The ball kept flying out of the yard as Lyons drove another two-run shot over the wall to cut the lead to two.
Brady did it again for the Bruins when she drove another one out of the ballpark to make it 7-3.
UCLA was able to hold on and force the if-necessary game.
Oklahoma jumped out to an early lead when Jennings drove a three-run home run over the wall.
In the second inning, Alo almost hit a ball out of the ballpark for a three-run bomb to make it 6-0. Then, in the third, Alo singled into outfield to make it a seven-run lead for the Sooners.
Oklahoma poured it on in the fifth inning when they brought in eight-run to make it 15-0.
OU held on to win the game in run-rule fashion to advance to the Championship Series.
Sooners will take on the Texas Longhorns in the first-ever all Big XII WCWS Championship.