OU’s sensational senior class is leaving on a high note.
One of the Sooners’ juniors came up with the game’s biggest play, with Cydney Sanders delivering a three-run double in the fourth and then OU’s pitching hanging on from there as the Sooners won their fourth consecutive Women’s College World Series title with an 8-4 win over Texas on Thursday at Devon Park.
The Sooners finish the season 59-7. During the past four seasons, OU is 235-15.
"The thing about them is they're resilient," Sooners coach Patty Gasso said. "They have a lot of pride in that. With that, it's hard for me to comprehend. I continue to say this one was the hardest to manage. We lost a lot in the summer. Players through the portal, brought in some great ones."
A little more than a month ago, it looked like the Sooners were a long way away from being a championship-caliber team.
OU lost the first two games of the Bedlam series as it finished second in the Big 12 for the first time in more than a decade.
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But an 8-2 win over Oklahoma State on May 5 started to turn the tide.
From there, the Sooners looked much more like their old selves, winning 14 of 15 to win the program’s eighth national title and further cement Gasso among the greatest coaches in the sport’s history.
OU tied Arizona for second with eight titles. UCLA has won 12.
Gasso tied legendary Arizona coach Mike Candrea for most national titles as a head coach.
The Sooners entered the season on an NCAA-record winning streak and kept it rolling, winning their first 18 before falling to Louisiana on March 3 to close out the opening weekend at Love’s Field.
The Sooners dropped a three-game series to the Longhorns in early April as the offense managed just one run in back-to-back games.
Even more stunningly, OU fell to BYU 9-4 at home April 12.
Then they lost the first two games to Oklahoma State.
But the Sooners turned a corner, rallying around their senior class even as freshmen Ella Parker and Kasidi Pickering continually came up huge.
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They did again Thursday, with Pickering delivering a two-run homer in the second inning and Parker a two-run single in the sixth to help the Sooners win the title yet again.
Once Sanders put the Sooners’ up front, OU relied on its bullpen.
Nicole May —part of that fantastic senior class that also includes Kinzie Hansen, Jayda Coleman, Tiare Jennings and Rylie Boone —came in and kept the Longhorns off-balance with her changeup before finding some trouble in the sixth.
Then, it was time for Gasso to call in Kelly Maxwell.
Maxwell got the last four outs, getting Katie Stewart to ground out to third to end the inning, setting off the celebration on the field and in the stands.
"I'm just thankful that I got to be a part of this," Maxwell said. "We've been through a lot this year."
Here are two other quick takeaways from the win:
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Patty Gasso goes with unconventional pitching plan
After Kelly Maxwell threw a combined 167 pitches over 15 innings the previous two days, Sooners coach Patty Gasso gave Maxwell a breather Thursday.
It figured that Nicole May or Kierston Deal, who have combined for 35 starts this season, would get the call.
Instead, Gasso went with Liberty transfer Karlie Keeney.
Keeney had thrown just one inning against the Longhorns in the Sooners’ five games against them this season, throwing a scoreless inning in the April 6 loss in Austin.
Keeney had thrown just a third of an inning in the WCWS, getting one batter in Monday’s loss to Florida.
Her last start came in the regular-season finale, when she went 6 ⅔ in a win over Oklahoma State.
Keeney was far from perfect Thursday, but she helped keep the Sooners in it.
She ultimately gave up two runs in 2 ⅔ innings before giving way to Paytn Monticelli —who hadn’t pitched since May 9 against Kansas.
After that, Gasso went with Deal in the fourth before turning to May and then, ultimately, Kelly Maxwell.
It was the first time in WCWS Championship Series history that a team used five pitchers.
"This is one of the most enjoyable games I've ever been a part of because of that," Gasso said.
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Texas makes huge miscue with game on the line
The Longhorns looked like they had a prime opportunity to tie or take the lead in the sixth, when Mia Scott dribbled an infield single to pull Texas within one and give them runners at the corners with Viviana Martinez coming to the plate.
But Scott turned toward second, trying to goad the Sooners into a rundown that could allow the tying run to score.
OU second baseman Avery Hodge reacted too fast, though, quickly flipping the ball to Sanders for the third out of the inning.
"No one feels worse than Mia Scott right now," Longhorns coach Mike White said. "Everything happens for a reason. She's sheeky. That's part of her M.O. That's what she does. ... It was a big moment in that game. Everybody knows it. She's already beaten herself up. I know she is. Hopefully she learns from that."
