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OKLAHOMA CITY – The Sooners are national champions, once again.
Oklahoma defeated Tennessee 4-0 to win the 2013 Women’s College World Series, earning the second national championship for the program. The Sooners are only the fifth team to win multiple national titles.
“I cannot tell you how honored I am to be the coach of this team because they’re just special, and they know how to win; and they fought, and they were never afraid,” head coach Patty Gasso said.
Like the team had done in three other World Series games this year, Oklahoma scored first in the third inning.
Senior Brianna Turang led off walk and took second when sophomore Lauren Chamberlain extended her hitting streak to a season-best 16 games with a sharp single to left field. Sophomore Georgia Casey advanced both runners with a sacrifice bunt, but it wasn’t needed as senior Keilani Ricketts smashed a three-run home run to the bleachers in right field.
It was Ricketts’ 50th career home run and 15th of the season.
Making her first appearance since the Regionals versus Arkansas on May 19, and her first start since May 11 against Oklahoma State, Michelle Gascoigne was masterful on Tuesday night. She pitched the entire game, allowing only three hits, while striking out 12 and walking no one.
The move to hold Ricketts, who had pitched every postseason game prior for the Sooners, proved genius.
“Keilani has had a ton of big moments, and the fact that she was wanting to share this with Michelle, I think probably helped Michelle get on the mound and say, I’ve got this,” Gasso said.
The victory was especially sweet for the Sooners, who fell in the national title series last year in heart breaking fashion, and have been the favorite to win in 2013 since.
“One year ago we watched another team celebrate right in front of us, and we, as a team prayed together and thanked God for the opportunity to be in a National Championship and knew that this was something that we needed to learn from,” Gasso said.
“When that last out was recorded, all of a sudden the Sooners were supposed to be the team to beat. It’s very difficult to live that way. But this team is resilient, and we followed God’s lead. We followed it. We followed the path, and it was windy at times, but we never stepped off; and we just did it together. I cannot express to you how proud I am.”
Courtesy of Okahoma Sports Information
