The Oklahoma Lady Sooners finished a magical season with a 3-1 win over Florida State on Thursday night to sweep the Women’s College World Series championship series and capture their third consecutive national championship.
OU ends the season at 61-1, which includes an active 53-game victory streak it will carry into 2024 and a winning percentage of .984, which is the best in NCAA history.
Cydney Sanders and Grace Lyons smacked back-to-back home runs in the fifth inning to give the Sooners a 2-1 lead, erasing a 1-0 deficit after Mack Leonard’s solo shot off OU starter Alex Storako in the bottom of the fourth.
Sanders was the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and a first-team All-American after hitting 21 homers at Arizona State last season before transferring to Oklahoma. Her numbers were down, but the ninth home run of her OU career tied the game at 1.
The WCWS run included five straight victories and only three runs allowed.
OU only loses four players from this year’s roster: Lyons, Storako, Haley Lee and Grace Green. Pitcher Jordy Bahl finished her WCWS by throwing 24 2/3 scoreless innings, which is third-best all-time. 12,195 fans watched as Bahl struck out her opponent to end the game.
Game 2 OKLAHOM A 3, FLORIDA ST ATE 1 OU 000 021 0 – 3 8 1 FSU 000 100 0 – 1 3 0 Storako, Bahl (5) and Hansen; Sandercock and Edenfield. E: Brito (5). DP: FSU 1. LOB: OU 4, FSU 4. HR: Sanders (9), Lyons (9), Leonard (6). W: Storako (18-0). L: Sandercock (28-4). S: Bahl (4).
