Courtesy of Oklahoma Athletics
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – No. 7 Oklahoma survived its first elimination game Saturday, defeating sixth-seeded Louisiana-Lafayette, 3-1, at the Women’s College World Series.
With the victory, the Sooners advance to face top-seeded Oregon Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN.
History was made in the win as junior Kelsey Stevens picked up her 38th victory of the season to establish a new Oklahoma single-season record, breaking a tie she shared with four others entering the contest.
Stevens was at her best in pressure situations, helping force ULL into stranding 11 runners throughout the game. She struck out seven, walked three and allowed just one run on six hits.
Oklahoma got on the board first against the Ragin’ Cajuns, scoring twice in the game’s opening inning.
With one out and the bases empty, junior Lauren Chamberlain hit a grounder that was misplayed by shortstop Corin Voinche for an error. Fellow junior Shelby Pendley followed with a walk after a seven-pitch at-bat to put two on base. That brought senior Brittany Williams to the plate and she cranked a two-run double over the head of center fielder Haley Hayden to spot OU to a 2-0 lead.
Louisiana-Lafayette threatened to tie or take the lead in the top of the third as the Ragin’ Cajuns loaded the bases with just one out. The Sooners got through it unscathed though as Kelsey Stevens struck out cleanup hitter Samantha Walsh and then got Shellie Landry to ground out junior Georgia Casey at shortstop.
The Ragin’ Cajuns again looked to tie the game in the fifth as their leadoff hitters recorded back-to-back singles to start the frame. Facing No. 3 hitter Lexie Elkins, Stevens got a pop up and then came back with a strikeout. Needing one out to get out of the jam, Stevens induced a grounder to third and Pendley stepped on third for the last out.
Oklahoma got an insurance run in the sixth thanks to a home run from an unlikely source.
With two outs, junior Callie Parsons hit a blooper down the left-field foul line. Shelby Redfearn charged in on the ball and dove but missed. The ball rolled into the left-field corner and Parsons sped around the bases for the second inside-the-park home run in WCWS history.
The homer was the first of Parsons’ career, coming in her 194th career at-bat.
Louisiana-Lafayette cut into the lead with a solo homer in the seventh, but Stevens worked around it with the final out coming on a groundout to senior Javen Henson at second base.
