Oklahoma Wins 2024 College Softball World Series vs. Texas for 4th Straight Title
June 7, 2024
Oklahoma's softball dynasty continued Thursday night.
The Sooners took down Texas 8-4 in Game 2 of the 2024 Women's College World Series, winning the best-of-three series. Oklahoma has now won four straight national titles as well as six in the past eight years.
The Longhorns put up a fight against their Big 12 rivals, as the Sooners needed a comeback to become champions once again.
After a scoreless first inning, Texas jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the second after a single from outfielder Kayden Henry cleared the heads of the Sooners' infield and allowed sophomore Reese Atwood to score.
Texas Softball @TexasSoftballsend her home <a href="https://twitter.com/henry_kayden?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@henry_kayden</a> 🤘<br><br>T2 | Texas 1 OU 0<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HookEm?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HookEm</a> | 📺 ESPN <a href="https://t.co/CIy25BVVjX">pic.twitter.com/CIy25BVVjX</a>
However, Oklahoma responded in the bottom of the inning. Freshman Kasidi Pickering recorded her second home run of the series, driving in two runs with an opposite field blast that gave the Sooners a 2-1 advantage.
Oklahoma Softball @OU_SoftballFIVE home runs for <a href="https://twitter.com/PickeringKasidi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PickeringKasidi</a> in her debut NCAA Tournament 💪<br><br>↓2 | OU 2, UT 1<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ChampionshipMindset?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ChampionshipMindset</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/espn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@espn</a> <a href="https://t.co/JrWcRMIzTa">pic.twitter.com/JrWcRMIzTa</a>
NCAA Softball @NCAASoftballThe home run stats for Kasidi Pickering's two-run blast 💣📊 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WCWS?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WCWS</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/OU_Softball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OU_Softball</a> <a href="https://t.co/vmJsmI3RVu">pic.twitter.com/vmJsmI3RVu</a>
The Longhorns tied the game with another RBI single, this time from senior infielder Alyssa Washington. Texas retook the lead during the top of the fourth inning, as junior Mia Scott reached first base on a two-out throwing error from Oklahoma's Avery Hodge that allowed Henry to cross home plate.
The excitement was short-lived, as the Sooners responded quickly once again. Infielder Cydney Sanders smacked a bases-clearing double off Texas left-hander Estelle Czech with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning, giving Oklahoma a 5-3 edge.
The back-and-forth affair continued after a scoreless fifth inning, with Scott reaching on an infield single in the top of the sixth that led to another run. However, she was tagged out at second after attempting to advance which ended the inning.
The Longhorns may have had a chance to tie or take the lead if she remained at first and wasn't subsequently tagged out, as outfielder Ashton Maloney advanced to third during the play after she doubled earlier in the inning.
After entering the bottom of the sixth with a narrow one-run lead, Oklahoma was able to get much more breathing room due to timely hits from Jayda Coleman and Ella Parker. Both Coleman and Parker delivered a pair of RBI singles, scoring three runs in the process and giving the Sooners a commanding 8-4 lead.
Oklahoma Softball @OU_SoftballEP adds two 👊<br><br>↓6 | OU 8, UT 4<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ChampionshipMindset?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ChampionshipMindset</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/espn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@espn</a> <a href="https://t.co/ui4ILpkXPX">pic.twitter.com/ui4ILpkXPX</a>
Left-hander Kelly Maxwell took the mound for the Sooners in the seventh inning, recording three straight outs to secure the title.
Oklahoma became the first team to win four consecutive titles in Women's College World Series history, with each of the championships occurring under legendary head coach Patty Gasso. Gasso is now tied for the most national championships as a head coach in Division I softball history.