'Pick their poison': Tiare Jennings' double lifts OU softball past Stanford into WCWS finals

Walking someone — anyone short of Jocelyn Alo or Babe Ruth — to get to OU slugger Tiare Jennings is almost unconscionable.

But that’s exactly what Stanford coach Jessica Allister did Monday.

That’s what the Sooners’ lineup does, forcing opponents into decisions that would normally be unthinkable.

On her 21st birthday, Jennings struck big when it mattered most, delivering a two-out, two-run double in the ninth to lift OU to a 4-2 win over the Cardinal in the Women’s College World Series at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium.

The Sooners have won 51 consecutive games, extending their NCAA record and moving into the WCWS Championship Series against Florida State.

The best-of-three series begins at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

More: Tramel: OU survives Stanford star NiJaree Canady, and Sooners' WCWS road now gets easier

The Sooners (59-1) have beaten both the Seminoles and Volunteers this season, including Saturday’s 9-0 win over Tennessee in the WCWS.

Jennings had struggled against Stanford before the ninth inning, going 0 for 7 against the Cardinal.

Against Stanford freshman phenom NiJaree Canady, Jennings was 0 for 5.

Heading into the WCWS, Jennings had struck out just eight times in 165 at-bats. Canady struck her out four times.

So when Jayda Coleman — whose third-inning home run tied the game for the Sooners — stepped to the plate with a runner on third and two outs in the ninth, Allister elected to put OU’s leadoff hitter aboard.

“I didn’t know they were going to do that to Jayda,” Jennings said. “It kind of didn’t matter to me. Either way, I was going to have to find a way to either get on or help my team as best I can.”

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Allister’s decision looked to be paying off when Canady quickly got ahead of Jennings 0-2.

Jennings fouled the next pitch off before driving Canady’s fourth offering to her into the right-center field gap to score Grace Lyons and Coleman and send the large contingent of OU fans in the stadium into a frenzy.

Allister didn’t back down from her choice.

“I think we’d make the same decision again,” she said. “Obviously hindsight is 20/20, and it didn’t end up the way we wanted it to, but we liked the matchup.

“At this point, you can’t be careful. You’ve got to trust your gut and go with the best decision.”

Against the Sooners, sometimes even the best decisions can backfire, though.

Jennings shortened up her swing but attacked aggressively, jumping on a Canady curveball to break the tie.

“I was going to battle,” Jennings said. “But I was going to keep swinging and just do whatever I can to help the team.”

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Lyons raised both arms in the air as she crossed the plate, then Coleman slid across soon after, rising with a wild arm pump in celebration — and relief.

Jennings, a junior, moved into a tie with Alo for most career WCWS RBIs with 28. No other player — from any program — has driven in more than 19.

“Tiare had some tough times, but she’s one of the best hitters I’ve ever seen,” Sooners coach Patty Gasso said. “So coaches — all coaches — pick their poison. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t.

“Tiare has this ability to get locked in like nobody I’ve ever seen as well. Her swing just looked kind of easy. It looked pretty free and easy and ran right into it at the right time.”

Before Jennings’ double, the Sooners hadn’t scored since the third as Alana Vawter and Canady had kept them off-balance much of the day since Coleman’s third-inning blast.

But Nicole May and Jordy Bahl did the same to the Cardinal.

Even before Jennings’ heroics, OU’s adjustment to Canady appeared to be paying off.

More: Does OU softball have an unfair advantage at WCWS? Stanford fans not bothered by Sooners

“(Canady) was spinning it really well, getting people to chase on that up ball,” Lyons said. “We just needed to make an adjustment to get on top of it.”

Lyons led off the ninth with a double before Canady got two consecutive groundouts to move Stanford within an out of escaping the inning before Allister made her fateful decision.

“We talk about not being result-oriented, and that’s exactly what happened today,” Jennings said. “I didn’t get the results I wanted earlier, and so what? I’m going to step in there and keep on swinging.”

WCWS championship series

WHAT: Best-of-three finals for NCAA softball title

WHO: Oklahoma (59-1) vs. Florida State (58-9)

WHEN: 7 p.m. Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. Thursday, 7 p.m. Friday (if necessary)

TV: ESPN

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU softball beats Stanford to reach NCAA championship series in WCWS