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OU Falls To Alabama in WCWS Title Game 5-4!

  • (OU Sports Information)

    Jackie Traina threw a five-hitter and delivered a key RBI single, and Alabama became the first Southeastern Conference team to win a NCAA softball title, beating Oklahoma 5-4 in the final game of a best-of-three series that ended early Thursday.

    Traina gave up three home runs — two to Lauren Chamberlain, including one in the seventh inning — but fanned her Oklahoma counterpart, Keilani Ricketts, to end the game.

    Alabama (60-8) took advantage of Ricketts’ wildness to score four runs in the fourth inning. The Crimson Tide overcame an early 3-0 deficit in a game delayed almost three hours at the start due to steady rain on Wednesday night.

    Oklahoma (54-10) had won 12 straight games, including the opening game of the championship series, before losing two in a row. Ricketts struck out seven, raising her tournament total to 64, tying for third-best in Women’s World College Series history.

    The win capped an emotional season for Alabama coach Patrick Murphy, who left after last season to take the coaching job at LSU, only to return to Alabama days later.

    Ricketts put Oklahoma ahead in the second, curling a leadoff homer just inside the right-field foul pole. Chamberlain followed in the third with a two-out homer to left field to give the Sooners a 3-0 lead.

    Rain started falling before the fourth inning and Ricketts (37-9) began struggling. After throwing 10 balls in the first three innings, she had 15 — including four wild pitches — in the fourth.

    Kaila Hunt opened the fourth by singling to left for Alabama, then scored on three wild pitches. After the third one, Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso complained to the umpires that Ricketts couldn’t properly grip the ball and they delayed the game 13 minutes — over Murphy’s protests.

    When the game resumed, Amanda Locke delivered a two-out RBI single and Courtney Conley followed with a double to center field that tied the game. A throwing error by Oklahoma shortstop Jessica Vest allowed Jazlyn Lunceford to reach base and Conley to score, putting the Crimson Tide up 4-3.

    Traina (42-3) walked Chamberlain and hit Ricketts with a pitch with two outs in the fifth, but retired Jessica Shults on a fly ball that right fielder Lunceford caught at the wall. Alabama added an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth as Jennifer Fenton reached on a leadoff bunt single and scored on a RBI single to right field by Traina.

    Chamberlain’s second home run, a two-out, solo shot over the right-centerfield wall, was her 30th of the season and the 102nd for the Sooners.

    Traina had six strikeouts to end the season with 360, an Alabama single-season record.

    This post was edited by James Hale on 6/7/2012 at 2:07 AM

    James Hale

  • Boy, tough way to lose the final game...UP 3-0 with a few innings to go. Hate to see the girls lose but it was one heck of a season.

    Congrats. to the girls Sooners...Hope to see you back next year!!

    lifesooner

  • I knew OU was in trouble when they didn't put things away in game 2. Great, great season but unfortunately-nobody remembers who finishes 2nd. They return almost everyone. I hope they can make it back next year and finish things off. Tough break with the rain and a 3-0 lead. Really affected Ricketts.

    SKIPinKELLER

  • It was a great season by the Lady Sooners who came up just a little short in the title game. Too bad it had to rain, but that's part of the game. Keilani had it going on and was in control until the rain started in the 4th inning.

    OU could very well be ranked #1 at the start of next season with virtually the entire starting team -1 coming back. Better luck next year Ladies. Hold your heads up high, you represented OU very well.

    JetDoc

  • It is too bad that it had to rain. It looked like we were cruising and then the heavy rain came. It clearly affected Ricketts and the team. I guess that it is just part of the breaks in any game. It could have been Traina on the mound in the heavy rain and our advantage. I am sure the girls are hurting now, but I would also think this is motivation to work even harder to get back to the finals.

    OUatty

  • They shouldn't play a championship game in those types of conditions. Postpone it and play the next day. Both teams played in the conditions but you want your champion determined on a good playing surface.
    Keilani had a great season but something happened to her the last two games. Self destructed in those games.

    vbdad

  • Tough loss for the ladies. I hate to utter such harsh words, but the fourth inning was a classic choke job. I realize the conditions were poor, but they were the same for Alabama. After game one, OU was in total control and they let this one slip away.

    SoonerBredCD

  • If it doesn't rain...we win.I agree that they should have postponed it till it was better conditions.

    ouhick

  • Rain or no rain, both teams play under the same conditions. If we eliminate the mistakes in the games that we lost then we would have won both. I can't say we were beaten by a better team which is tough to swallow. All that being said, they have a great shot to get back there again next year.

    docjb

  • docjb said...

    Rain or no rain, both teams play under the same conditions. If we eliminate the mistakes in the games that we lost then we would have won both. I can't say we were beaten by a better team which is tough to swallow. All that being said, they have a great shot to get back there again next year.

    Agreed! I felt like OU was the better team but definitely self-destructed the last two games. A great season and congratulations to the team and Coach Gasso. They had a great year and have an awful lot to be proud of. Hopefully they will make it back next season.

    signature image signature image signature image

    OUGrad97

  • alabama was more mentally tough . period .
    alabama did most of their damage with 2 outs. 2 outs.
    ricketts self destructed and the team followed suit.
    anyway , a great year.

    nisakat2