Couronne Jennings bended in the 9th inning to score two runs and lead the top-seeded Sooners past No. 9 Stanford 4-2, securing a shot at their 3rd straight Women’s College World Series title.
THUNDER (AP) — It wasn’t quite, but Oklahoma kept its historic winning streak alive.
Tiare Jennings doubled in the ninth inning to score 2 runs, propelling the top-seeded Sooners past No. 9 Stanford 4-2 on Monday for a chance at their third consecutive Women’s College World Series title.
Oklahoma extended its Division I record to 51 consecutive wins. The Sooners advanced to face No. 2 Florida State for the national title in a rematch of the 2021 championship series that the Sooners won. Oklahoma (59-1) aims to become the first program since UCLA in 1988-90 to win three consecutive championships. The best-of-three championship series starts Wednesday.
“We win a lot, and that’s fantastic,” Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso said. “But sometimes I think we’re so used to taking it for granted, which means a lot. This means a lot. To get to the championship game means a lot.”
Since Oklahoma was unbeaten in the double-elimination group, the Sooners needed only one win on Monday, while Stanford would have needed two to advance. Oklahoma handed Stanford both of their World Series losses.
Stanford’s Kylie Chung hit a 2-run homer in the first, the only runs the Sooners have allowed in the World Series. Jayda Coleman’s solo homer tied the score at 2 in the third.
Grace Lyons doubled to start Oklahoma’s ninth. Coleman came up with Lyons on third base with two outs and was intentionally walked. With two strikes, Jennings — celebrating her 21st birthday — sent NiJaree Canady’s pitch into the gap in right-center to bring Lyons and Coleman home.
Coleman and Jennings are both first-team National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Americans. Gasso said Jennings took advantage of an ideal situation, despite going 0 for 4 before her last at-bat.
“She’s one of the best hitters I’ve ever seen,” Gasso said. “So coaches — all coaches pick their poison. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. Tiare has this ability to get locked in like nobody I’ve ever seen as well. Her swing just looked kind of easy. It looked really free and easy and ran right into it at the right time.”
Stanford coach Jessica Allister believes walking Coleman to face Jennings was the right move.
“I think we’d make the same decision again,” she said. “Obviously, hindsight is 20/20 and it didn’t end up like we wanted it to, but we liked the matchup. Now, you can’t be certain. You’ve got to trust your gut and make the best decision.”
Oklahoma’ s Jordy Bahl position the Cardinal lower in order inside the ninth.
Bahl, who received the win, gave up four hits in four innings in support of starter Nicole May and did not allow a run. Bahl is 3-0 in the World Series and has not allowed a run in 14 2/3 innings.
Canady entered the day with the most innings pitched of any player in the World Series. She threw a one-hitter against Washington on Sunday to propel the Cardinal into the semifinals, then threw 85 pitches against Oklahoma. The NFCA junior of the year had a 1.12 ERA with 25 strikeouts in 18 2/3 innings in the World Series.
“I think that I can play at this level,” she said. “Coming in (to the World Series), like I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know — we get Oklahoma right off the bat. And then I know like I can, usually, I can pitch to any team in the country.”
Canady and the Cardinal want more next year.
“We got here,” she said. “That was a taste, and now we’re going to come back hungry.”
