OU Softball: Sooners Headed To WCWS Finals After Taming the Tigers In Semis

The Oklahoma Softball team is headed back to the Women's College World Series championship series after a 7-3 win over No. 10 LSU in the semfinals on Sunday night. The win was the 30th straight win for the Sooners as they'll try to pick up two more to claim the national championship. 

Oklahoma will face No. 4 Auburn in a best-of-three championship series, which is set to start on Monday at 7 p.m. and go through Wednesday if necessary. It will be Auburn’s first trip to the finals in the history of the program while the Sooners have made four appearances.

After the Sooners did a lot of damage in the first inning in Saturday night’s win over Michigan, Oklahoma took one inning longer to get one on the board on Sunday when Nicole Pendley got on the bags with a two-out triple, and was quickly hit home by a Kady Self single on the next at-bat to put the Sooners up 1-0.

OU’s offense struck again in the third when Kelsey Arnold scored from third on the third LSU error of the game, then again when Shay Knighten knocked in Caleigh Clifton to give the Sooners an early 3-0 cushion.

While the 3-run lead was great, it didn’t last long for OU. LSU’s Sahvannah Jaquish quickly tied the game with a three-run bomb in the bottom half of the inning that shocked the rowdy OU fans in attendance.

Just like much of the season, the Sooners responded well when they’ve faced adversity.

Oklahoma quickly regained the lead in the top of the fourth when Erin Miller smacked a double up the middle that scored two runs before OU added another in the frame on a passed ball that put the Sooners up 6-3.   

As if the three-run lead wasn't enough, freshman Shay Knighten hit a no-doubter over the left field wall in the sixth inning that tacked on one more run to give the Sooners a 7-3 lead. That was all the Sooners needed as they look to finish off an incredible season with a national championship. 

Both Miller and Knighten finished with two RBI's apiece for the Sooners, while seven different OU players scored and all nine batters reached base. Paige Parker had yet another solid game with four strikeouts and only two walks.