Oklahoma showed it could win the biggest game even without slugging from college softball’s all-time home run queen as the Sooners repeated as national champions today with a 10-5 victory over Texas in Jocelyn Alo’s last game for OU.
Kinzie Hansen and Grace Lyons belted three-run home runs to key Oklahoma’s comeback win at USA Softball Stadium in Oklahoma City.
Even on a night when her bat was relatively quiet, the crowd was loud for Alo, who went 1-for-3 with a single and finished her career with 122 home runs — the most in Division I history.
“There’s no better feeling,” Alo said in a postgame interview with ESPN. “This is everything we worked for.”
Alo, who normally doesn’t play on defense, was put in left field in the seventh inning with the Sooners leading 10-2. The Kahuku and Campbell alumna from Hauula received a standing ovation, and then caught fly balls from the Longhorns’ first two batters of the final inning of her college career. The reigning two-time national player of the year then came out of the game to another huge ovation.
“Everyone was kind of surprised, but I do practice defense,” Alo said. “Just getting the job done.”
The drama wasn’t over, though, as Texas’ Mia Scott hit a three-run homer. Then the game, the season, and Alo’s illustrious career ended two batters later on a routine ground out.
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Early on, it looked like the Sooners might have to wait to think about curtain calls until a final game Friday in the best-of-three series.
Oklahoma was scoreless until the fourth inning when it scored twice to tie the Longhorns, who had taken the lead with two sacrifice flys in the first.
The Sooners broke it open with four runs in both the fifth and sixth innings. Alyssa Brito’s two doubles along with the homers by Hansen and Lyons were the big hits.
Alo, who finished with a season batting average over .500, came in having hit four homers in her last two games while reaching base in all nine plate appearances. She and teammate Tiare Jennings set the WCWS record at five home runs with two each in Oklahoma’s 16-1 win over Texas in the first game of the series Wednesday.
Today, Alo struck out looking on a 3-2 pitch in the first. She walked on four pitches to lead off the third inning, but Jennings then grounded into a double play, and Texas held on to its lead.
In her final plate appearance after a deep fly out to center in the fifth, Alo singled in the sixth and scored on Lyons’ home run.
“I’m sad to be walking away from it but I’m glad to finish on top,” Alo said.