The Oklahoma Sooners went on a historic run this season. Jocelyn Alo set new records, having one of the best records in softball history and creating a new record with 64 runs in the WCWS. The Sooners made their statement at the start of their season.
However, we can’t forget the history other teams made during their time at the WCWS — including the Texas Longhorns. The Longhorns weren’t supposed to make it to Oklahoma City, let alone the championship.
Along with the Longhorns, other unranked teams made their mark during the NCAA softball tournament. The upsets started during regionals when Florida State lost to Mississippi State and other top-ranked teams went down.
The Oklahoma Sooners came out on top despite a chaotic and memorable 2022 softball season.
Sooners Boom Through Game One
Even though the Longhorns scored the game’s first run, Oklahoma’s bat came out on fire.
Their leadoff hitter, Jayda Coleman, started the game with a double. Alo followed with a home run. The rest is history. Texas even went through three pitchers, all within the first inning.
Oklahoma won game one 16-1.
Unfortunately, there is no mercy rule in the championship game and Oklahoma took advantage of that every inning.
According to The Athletic, the game featured six home runs and a record of 12 RBIs. The Sooners couldn’t be stopped in game one, but I wanted to see how the Longhorns responded.
For me, I love a good underdog story. So part of me wanted to see Texas strike back and the other part wanted Oklahoma to continue their successful season.
A Closer Game Two
The Longhorns came out on top early again. However, they managed to keep their lead further into the game.
The Longhorns started sophomore Estelle Czech as their pitcher and she did her job. Their defense carried into their offense when they started connecting their bats to the ball early.
Oklahoma started their freshman pitcher, Jordy Bahl. Janae Jefferson recorded the first hit for Texas, then Mia Scott, then Alyssa Washington — the hits were contagious.
Washington’s sacrifice fly allowed Jefferson to score the first run of the game. Followed by Mary Iokopo’s sacrifice fly to score Texas’s second run.
After that, it was the Coleman show. Coleman robbed three home runs consecutively, which held up the Longhorns from taking an even larger lead.
In the fourth inning, the Sooners were able to tie the game due to a few Texas errors. After that, the Longhorns couldn’t find a groove offensively or defensively. One error and a three-run homer later, the Sooners were up 6-2.
More hits and another home run later, the score was 10-2 at the bottom of the sixth inning. Then, at the bottom of the seventh inning, Scott recorded a three-run homer to make the score 10-5.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough for the Longhorns.
Next Up 2023
Softball is a sport that is growing on me and I love it. I especially enjoy the postseason atmosphere in Oklahoma City. The crowd is electric, the games are unpredictable and the players leave it all out on the field.
I’m excited to see what every team has in store next season. Will more history be made? Will teams seek out their revenge? Who will be next year’s WCWS winner? I guess we will have to wait and see.
Follow me on Twitter @KylaMcGhee2022. And check out Beyond Women’s Sports for more articles on amazing women and their sport.
