Longhorns Use Late-Inning Power to Knock Off Sooners in WCWS Showdown

Texas gets its revenge. After falling to the Sooners in the Championship Series a year ago, and being swept in Norman this season, Texas shuts down the OU offense and wins 4-2. Texas connected on homers in the 5th and 6th innings, while the OU bats went cold, with the Sooners shut out for the last five innings of the game.

The first inning went to the Longhorns. Batting second, Texas had runners on first and third when OU catcher Isabela Emerling threw to second ahead of a stealing Longhorn, but the throw back home was late and off target, allowing UT’s runner on third to come home for the first score of the game. It also opened things up for the runner on first to advance all the way to third. She would score on a sacrifice fly moments later. 2-0 Longhorns after the first. 

The Sooners responded in the second. With runners on second and third, Abby Dayton hit a blooper into short center and Cydney Sanders scored. Kasidi Pickering knocked Ailana Agbayani in the next at-bat. Tie ball game midway through the second, 2-2. 

The score was unchanged for the next 3 innings, until the bottom of the fifth when Texas sophomore Kayden Henry finally broke through, hitting a solo home run to right field. The Sooners would later end the inning with a double-play, heading to the sixth with Texas leading 3-2. 

The Sooners came within striking distance in the top of the 6th but left a runner stranded on third. Texas would capitalize in the bottom half of the inning, with Joley Mitchell hitting a lead-off homerun: her third in two World Series games this year. The Texas lead swells to 4-2. One last chance for the OU bats.

Kasidi Pickering struck out to start the inning, but the Sooners followed that up by putting runners on second and third. Then Gabbie Garcia also struck out swinging, making it two outs with two on for Hannah Coor. Texas Pitcher Teagan Kavan struck out Coor as well to retire the side and secure the win for Texas, 4-2.

Oklahoma will play Oregon on Sunday at 6 PM Central.