OKLAHOMA CITY — It's over.
Patty Gasso and the Sooners are back on the mountain top.
The Sooners secured the program's fourth consecutive national championship on Thursday, defeating arch-rival Texas 8-4 to secure a sweep in the Women's College World Series Championship Series. The Sooners become the first program in college softball history to win four championships in a row.
The championship is the Sooners' eighth overall, tying them with Arizona for the second most among college softball programs.
The Sooners faced their share of hardships on their way to making softball history, and they faced one more test against the Longhorns on Thursday. But the Sooners met the challenge with a team-effort, and got contributions up and down the roster.
OU coach Patty Gasso kept Kelly Maxwell in the dugout, opting to start Karlie Keeney for her first career WCWS appearance. But the Longhorns managed to strike first with an RBI single to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning.
But each time the Longhorns threw a punch, the Sooners had a counter.
Alyssa Brito hit a leadoff double to the wall to open the bottom of the second. True freshman Kasidi Pickering — who hit a key home run on Wednesday — blasted a two-run home run to left field to give the Sooners a 2-1 lead.
The Longhorns again responded with an RBI single to tie the game in the top of the third, then took the lead in the top of the fourth with another RBI single.
But the Sooners responded with a collective and methodical effort.
Kinzie Hansen, Pickering and Rylie Boone opened the bottom of the fourth with back-to-back-to-back singles, loading the bases with only one out. Cydney Sanders, who made critical plays in the previous wins over Texas and Florida, calmly stepped to the plate and delivered a double that scored the trio, giving the Sooners a 5-3 lead.
It was a lead the Sooners never relinquished, but there was still work to do.
With Maxwell sidelined to start the game, the Sooners essentially unloaded their entire pitching staff platoon on the Longhorns. Keeney, Kierston Deal and Paytn Monticelli all saw time through the first four innings, with Monticelli getting the Sooners out of a crucial bases-loaded jam on a forced ground out. Nicole May took over in the fifth inning, and the senior quickly retired the side with two strikeouts and a ground out.
But the Longhorns threatened in the sixth inning with two base runners, including a double, and Gasso made the move to insert Maxwell. The fifth-year senior gave up an RBI single that cut OU's lead to 5-4, but a heads-up play by Avery Hodge secured the tag at first base for the final out.
The Sooners, again, had an answer in the bottom of the sixth.
Boone, Cydney Sanders and Hodge loaded the bases, and Coleman delivered an RBI single for an insurance run. Ella Parker followed it with an RBI double that added two runs, pushing the lead to four runs.
Maxwell retired the Longhorns' lineup in order in the top of the seventh, sealing the victory.
The Sooners finished the game with 12 hits from eight different players, while the Longhorns had seven hits. The Sooners logged 21 total hits in their two-game sweep of the Longhorns.
Maxwell was named as the WCWS Most Outstanding Player. Hansen, Jennings, Parker and Pickering were named to the all-tournament team.
The Sooners finish the season with a 59-7 record. They posted a 14-1 record in the postseason, including winning five of six at the WCWS.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
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