Oklahoma run-rules UCLA to advance to WCWS final
Oklahoma’s Jocelyn Alo blasted two home runs in the Sooner's semifinal win against UCLA. (Brett Rojo/USA TODAY Sports)
UCLA forced a winner-take-all game against Oklahoma in the Women’s College World Series semifinals, but the Sooners responded in a big way.
Top-seeded Oklahoma rolled to a 15-0 win in its second game against UCLA on Monday to advance to the WCWS finals. The margin of victory stands as the largest in WCWS history.
“There was no way we were going to be denied,” Oklahoma star Jocelyn Alo said.
The defending champion Sooners got off to a fast start. Tiare Jennings hit the first home run — the Sooners would total seven in the game — in the top of the first inning to bring home Alo and Jayda Coleman and give her team a 3-0 lead.
The Sooners kept rolling in the second, going up 6-0 on a three-run home run from Alo, the NCAA’s all-time home run leader.
@78jocelyn_alo 𝑨𝑵𝑵𝑰𝑯𝑰𝑳𝑨𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵
@espn#WCWS x @OU_Softballpic.twitter.com/PybqARV14z
— NCAA Softball (@NCAASoftball) June 6, 2022
Meanwhile, Oklahoma pitcher Hope Trautwein was on fire in the circle, retiring 11 straight batters through the end of the fourth before UCLA’s Alyssa Garcia led off the fifth inning with a single.
#HopeIsDope
𝟏𝟏 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 retired@hopetraut
END 4 | OU 7, UCLA 0 |ESPN pic.twitter.com/8suuzE8grV
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) June 6, 2022
The Sooners held a 7-0 lead through four, and then they put the game away in the fifth. They added eight more runs, including an Alo grand slam, to end the game via mercy rule.
𝐎𝐡 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐫
@espn#WCWS x @OU_Softballpic.twitter.com/2eofCPdCIi
— NCAA Softball (@NCAASoftball) June 6, 2022
“Just knowing this is my last World Series, I’m trying to leave it all out on the field,” Alo said. “Just trying to leave my heart out on the field too. I won’t have this opportunity again.”
With the win, Oklahoma still has yet to lose back-to-back games this season. Even with Monday’s early loss to UCLA, the Sooners have lost just three games overall.
They move on to the three-game Women’s College World Series finals, where they will play the winner of Monday night’s semifinal matchup between Texas and Oklahoma State.
The Sooners have beaten both teams already this season — but Texas and Oklahoma State have handed Oklahoma one loss each.
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