Sooners set NCAA record with 48th straight victory

NORMAN, Okla. — Kinzie Hansen hit a dramatic, tying three-run home run in the seventh inning, Tiare Jennings led off the ninth with a solo blast, and Oklahoma set an NCAA Division I softball record with its 48th straight win, a thrilling 8-7 victory over Clemson on Saturday to sweep the Norman Super Regional.

The two-time reigning national champions were down to their final strike twice in the second matchup of the best-ofthree series after the Tigers rallied to take a 7-4 lead into the final inning of regulation play.

Rylie Boone singled to open the seventh, and with two outs, Haley Lee singled to right on a 1-2 count. Hansen then belted an 0-2 pitch over the wall in left.

Jennings took the first pitch in the ninth to deep center to send the Sooners to their seventh straight Women’s College World Series and push them past Arizona’s winning streak set over two seasons in 1996-97.

“The way these guys respond,” coach Patt Gasso said, pausing as she choked up. “They’re great. I think everybody expects that we should always win. The amount of pressure is pretty insurmountable, and they keep standing up to it.”

It was the first extra-inning game for Oklahoma (56-1) since the second game of the season on Feb. 9. The Sooners’ only loss was 4-3 at Baylor on Feb. 19.

After Clemson scored sevenstraight runs to take a 7-4 lead in the fifth, Oklahoma pitchers retired 12 straight batters before Jordy Bahl (18-1) gave up a bloop single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. The

Big 12 pitcher of the year went three innings for the win.

Clemson (49-12), seeded 16th in just its fourth year of play, lost 9-2 Friday but bounced back to score the most runs against Oklahoma this season.

› Stanford 7, Duke 2

DURHAM, N.C. — Taylor Gindlesperge had three hits, Dani Hayes drove in two runs and Alana Vawter picked up her 20th win of the season as ninth-seeded Stanford defeated eighth-seeded Duke for a sweep of the Durham Super Regional and the third WCWS berth in Cardinal history.

Stanford, which won 3-1 on Friday, had not made the WCWS field since 2004.

The Cardinal (45-13) were holding a 3-2 lead going into the bottom of the fifth when they used five singles — all 11 of their hits were singles — to score four runs and break the game open.

Duke (48-12) got an RBI single from Ana Gold to open the scoring in the top of the first. It was her 56th RBI, tying the school record. Francesca Frelick homered in the top of the third to pull the Blue Devils within 3-2, but that was it as the best season in program history came to an end.

› Washington 2, Louisiana-Lafayette 0

SEATTLE — Lindsay Lopez had seven strikeouts over six scoreless innings, Baylee Klingler scored on Madison Huskey’s sacrifice fly in the sixth, and Washington beat Louisiana-Lafayette for a super regional sweep.

The Huskies (43-13), who won Friday’s opener 8-0 in five innings, are in the WCWS for the 15th time overall but first time since 2019.

Klingler hit a one-out double in the top of the sixth inning and was replaced by pinch-runner Avery Hobson, who advanced to third on an infield single by Sami Reynolds and scored on a sacrifice fly by Huskey.

Lopez (13-3) allowed six hits and a walk and hit a batter. Ruby Meylan pitched a 1-2-3 seventh for her seventh save of the season.

Karly Heath hit a leadoff single in the bottom of the sixth for the Ragin’ Cajuns (50-16) and stole second base but was stranded there — one of eight players her team left on base and one of five in scoring position.

Kelley Lynch led off the seventh with a single for the Huskies. Brooklyn Carter came on as a pinch runner, advanced to second on a groundout by SilentRain Espinoza and moved to third on a passed ball before she stole home with two outs. › Utah 10, San Diego St. 1 SALT LAKE CITY — Julia Jimenez hit a grand slam, Ellessa Bonstrom and Shelbi Ortiz also homered, and No. 15 seed Utah routed San Diego State in five innings to stay alive in the Salt Lake City Super Regional.

The Utes’ win evened the best-of-three series — San Diego State won 4-3 a day earlier — and forced a deciding game Sunday, ending a run of sweeps in this round of the NCAA softball tournament.

Mariah Lopez (22-6) allowed one run on four hits with two strikeouts for Utah (40-13), and Sarah Ladd pitched the fifth to close out the run-rule game.

San Diego State (39-16) scored on Makena Brocki’s first-inning single but had only one more runner reach second base in the final four innings.