Oklahoma beats Texas to secure second straight Women’s College World Series title

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Jocelyn Alo and Tiare Jennings put Oklahoma on the brink of a repeat national championship with their stellar play throughout the Women’s College World Series.

Their teammates brought it home.

Kinzie Hansen and Grace Lyons hit three-run homers, Jayda Coleman made spectacular defensive plays and No. 1 seed Oklahoma defeated unseeded Texas 10-5 on Thursday night to win its second straight title.

Alo, the two-time USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, was named Most Outstanding Player. She hit .667 for the World Series, tied Jennings for a series-record five home runs and set a series mark with 12 runs scored.

Alo ends her career with a Division I record 122 home runs. Most important to her, she ended one of the greatest college careers with a win.

“These are the moments that I’ll remember forever,” she said. “I’m just happy to be going out top and to just know that all the hard work we put in paid off.”

The Sooners (59-3) claimed the best-of-three series against their Big 12 rival 2-0 after winning Game 1 on Wednesday 16-1 with a record six home runs. It was Oklahoma’s sixth overall national championship and fifth in the past nine World Series.

Alo hit a hard single in her final at-bat in the sixth inning and later scored. In the seventh, she stepped in to play left field and caught two fly balls for outs before leaving the game to a standing ovation.

The future looks bright for the Sooners. Jennings — just a sophomore — set a World Series record with 15 RBIs. Coleman is a sophomore, too.

And then there’s Oklahoma’s Jordy Bahl (22-1). The NFCA Freshman of the Year settled down after a rough start. She allowed two runs and four hits in four innings.

“We’re all competitors, and when you are a