Stormin in Norman
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Oklahoma softball: Sooners roll over UCF, advance to WCWS

By Chip Rouse

Oklahoma's Jana Johns (20) celebrates after hitting a double on the first inning of a softball game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and Texas A&M in the NCAA Norman Regional at Marita Hynes Field in Norman, Okla., Sunday, May 22, 2022.Ncaa Norman Regional
Oklahoma's Jana Johns (20) celebrates after hitting a double on the first inning of a softball game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and Texas A&M in the NCAA Norman Regional at Marita Hynes Field in Norman, Okla., Sunday, May 22, 2022.Ncaa Norman Regional /
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Behind four home runs and an outstanding outing by Sooner pitcher Nicole May, top-seeded Oklahoma softball eliminated No, 16 UCF 7-1 in the Norman Super Regional to earn a spot in the Women’s College World Series.

The Sooners won their 54th game of the season against just two defeats, both coming to teams in the Big 12 (Texas and Oklahoma State).

UCF, making its first ever trip to the Super Regionals, was held to just one run and a total of three hits in losing back-to-back games to the Sooners. OU’s Hope Trautwein no-hit the Knights in OU’s 8-0 win in Game 1 of the Norman Regional on Friday.

That was followed by a seven-inning complete game by the sophomore May in the circle for the Sooners on Saturday. May allowed a bases-empty home run to Jada Cody of UCF with one out in the sixth inning, the only run by the Knights in their two games.

Otherwise, May gave up just a pair of singles in the opening inning and allowed just five base runners (three hits and a pair of walks). She struck out four hitters in recording her 15th win of the season without a loss.

Oklahoma scored first with a run in the top of the first on a bases-full single by Alyssa Britto. The Sooners have outscored their opponents 106-2 in the opening inning this season.

Shortstop Grace Lyons hit the first of her two home runs to left field in the third to put the Sooners up 2-0.

Lyons cleared the fences again in the fourth with a three-run shot to right center, driving in Jocelyn Alo and Tiare Jennings, who had reached on an infield error and a double, respectively.

At that point, OU had built a 5-0. The final two Sooner runs came on solo home runs to center field in the fifth by Jana Johns and by NCAA career home-run leader Alo in the sixth. Alo’s blast was her 28th of the season and Oklahoma’s NCAA-best 137th of the season. Ironically, the OU pitching staff has yielded just nine home runs all season.

Lyons wielded the big bat in the Sooner lineup, going three for five at the plate, including a pair of home runs, and drove in four of the seven Oklahoma runs. Jennings and Alo both had a couple of hits in four trips to the plate.

Alo walked in the top of the seventh inning and was replaced by pinch-runner Sophia Nugent. As she left the game, playing her final college game at OU’s Marita Hynes Field, Alo was given a standing ovation by the 1,700 fans in attendance.

The Sooners are headed to the Women’s College World Series for the sixth straight season with the chance to defend their 2021 WCWS national championship. OU is seeking its sixth national championship and fourth in the last six complete seasons. The Sooners won national titles in 2016 and 2017, 2021 and were runners-up in 2019.

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