OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Jordy Bahl pitched three perfect innings of relief and Oklahoma won its third straight Women’s College World Series title and seventh overall, beating Florida State 3-1 on Thursday in the night for a two-game sweep.
The Sooners finished 61-1 and extended their Division I record winning streak to 53 games. They have won six titles since 2016 after capturing their first in 2000, all under coach Patty Gasso.
Oklahoma’s only loss was a 4-3 loss at Baylor on February 19. The Sooners set a record for winning percentage and had the fewest losses of any NCAA champion. They led the nation in runs per game, earned run average and batting average, even after losing Division I home run leader Jocelyn Alo from last year’s team.
UCLA was the only other program to win three straight titles, from 1988 to 1990. But the Bruins lost 19 games during that stretch. Oklahoma has dropped just eight over its three-peat.
Bahl, a sophomore from Papillion, Neb., didn’t allow an earned run in 24 2/3 innings during the WCWS. She went 4-0, earned the save in Thursday’s game and became the first pitcher since 1992 to go at least 20 World Series innings without allowing a run.
Cydney Sanders and Grace Lyons hit back-to-back home runs off Seminoles ace Kathryn Sandercock in the fifth inning after Florida State had taken a 1-0 lead in the fourth on a home run by Mack Leonard. That was a big cushion for Bahl, who struck out three and threw 39 pitches, 28 for strikes.
Sandercock pitched a complete game for Florida State (58-11), which was making its third final appearance in the last five World Series. The Seminoles won the title in 2018 and were runner-up to Oklahoma in 2021.
