Oklahoma clinched its fourth straight NCAA softball title, defeating Texas 8-4 in a thrilling series sweep. Key contributions from Cydney Sanders and Kelly Maxwell led the Sooners to victory.
Oklahoma secured its record fourth consecutive NCAA softball title, thanks to a decisive, bases-clearing double from Cydney Sanders, defeating Texas 8-4 on Thursday night to sweep the Women’s College World Series championship.
This victory marked the Sooners’ eighth overall title, all achieved under coach Patty Gasso, tying them with Arizona for the second-most World Series championships, just behind UCLA’s 12.
Key contributors to the Sooners’ past four championship teams included Tiare Jennings, Jayda Coleman, Kinzie Hansen, Rylie Boone, and pitcher Nicole May.
Kelly Maxwell, an Oklahoma State transfer, was honored as the Most Outstanding Player. She delivered a stellar performance, going 3-0 with a save at the World Series, conceding seven earned runs over 27 innings.
Second-seeded Oklahoma (59-7) displayed offensive prowess, scoring eight runs in each of the two games against top-seeded Texas and amassing a total of 21 hits against a Longhorns team that had previously thrown three consecutive one-hit shutouts in the World Series.
Kasidi Pickering contributed a two-run homer in the second inning for the Sooners, and Ella Parker added a two-run single in the sixth, extending Oklahoma’s lead. Gasso utilized five pitchers, with Maxwell securing the last four outs for the save, following her complete-game victory in Game 1.
Texas (55-10) remains without a national title, having lost to the Sooners in the 2022 championship series as well. This season, Texas won the Big 12 regular-season title, but Oklahoma triumphed over the Longhorns in the Big 12 tournament.
Both teams will transition from the Big 12 to the Southeastern Conference next season.
A critical baserunning error by Texas’ Mia Scott thwarted the Longhorns’ chance to tie the game or take the lead in the sixth inning. Scott’s two-out, RBI infield single brought Texas within 5-4 and advanced Ashton Maloney to third base, but Scott overran first base. Oklahoma second baseman Avery Hodge quickly relayed the ball to first baseman Sanders, who tagged Scott out before she could return.
Earlier in the game, a fielding error by Hodge allowed Texas to take a 3-2 lead.
Freshman Kayden Henry had two hits for Texas and drove in the Longhorns’ first run.
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