OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Mackenzie Donihoo hit two homers, and top-seeded Oklahoma beat No. 2 UCLA 10-3 in an elimination game at the Women's College World Series on Saturday night to reach the semifinals.
Oklahoma will face James Madison, the unseeded team that shocked the Sooners to start the tournament, today. Oklahoma will need to beat the Dukes twice to advance to the best-of-three championship series. James Madison will need just one win because it is unbeaten in the double-elimination format.
In 2019, UCLA defeated Oklahoma for the national title, and Rachel Garcia pitched both wins in the championship series. This year, Garcia, a U.S. Olympian and the two-time USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, threw more than 100 pitches each of the previous two days before throwing another 106 against Oklahoma.
Giselle "G" Juarez got the win in relief for her second victory of the day. She did not allow a run in five innings against UCLA. She threw 5 1/3 scoreless innings in an elimination game win against Georgia earlier in the day.
The game followed a rain delay of more than two hours.
Garcia gave herself a cushion with a three-run homer in the third inning to open the scoring.
Oklahoma got on the board with an RBI triple by Jocelyn Alo in the third. An infield single by Kinzie Hansen scored Alo. Oklahoma loaded the bases with two outs, but Garcia got out of the jam with a strikeout and held onto a 3-2 lead.
Jennings doubled and knocked in two in the fourth to put Oklahoma up 4-3.
UCLA loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth, but Bubba Nickles popped out.
Donihoo, who hit a homer against Georgia, hit a solo shot in the fifth to put the Sooners up 5-3.
Hansen doubled to knock in two in the sixth. That gave the Sooners a 7-3 lead, and UCLA coach Kelly Inouye-Perez finally pulled Garcia. Donihoo blasted a two-run homer off Holly Azevedo in the sixth to push Oklahoma's lead to 10-3.
Florida State 4, Arizona 3
OKLAHOMA CITY - Florida State rallied to beat Arizona in a Women's College World Series elimination game Saturday.
With the score tied at three heading into the bottom of the seventh, Florida State's Kaley Mudge led off with a single. She advanced to second on a fielder's choice and third on a throwing error by Arizona second baseman Reyna Carranco. Mudge scored the winner on a sacrifice fly by Cassidy Davis.
Arizona's Malia Martinez opened the scoring with a solo homer in the third inning. Dejah Mulipola scored on a sacrifice fly by Carlie Scupin in the fourth to push the Wildcats' lead to 2-0.
Arizona starter Alyssa Denham threw 3 2/3 shutout innings before Mariah Lopez replaced her.
Lopez struggled with control, and if finally caught up with her in the sixth, when she walked a batter and hit a batter. Dani Morgan then took one of her pitches just over the left field fence to give Florida State a 3-2 lead. It was Seminoles' only hit of the inning.
Florida State pitcher Kathryn Sandercock tried to close the deal in the seventh, but Carranco's double scored Janelle Meono to tie the score.
Lopez then gave up the final run in the seventh to get the loss. Sandercock got the win.
Oklahoma 8, Georgia 0
OKLAHOMA CITY - Jocelyn Alo set Oklahoma's single-season home run record and helped the Sooners beat Georgia in six innings in a Women's College World Series elimination game Saturday.
Alo, the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, hit her 31st homer in the sixth, a two-run drive into the bleachers in center field. Lauren Chamberlain hit 30 homers in 2012 and 2013, and Alo hit 30 in 2018.
Giselle "G" Juarez struck out 10 in 5 1/3 innings for the top-seeded Sooners.
Mackenzie Donihoo put Oklahoma in front against Georgia with her seventh homer in the second, a two-run shot to left that brought the familiar "Boomer Sooner" song from the speakers.
Donihoo contributed again in the fourth. She singled, and Jayda Coleman scored on a throwing error to give the Sooners a 3-0 lead. Kinzie Hansen's two-run shot to center in the fifth made it 5-0.
Georgia had runners on second and third with two outs in the fifth before Juarez struck out Savana Sikes swinging to end the threat.
Mary Wilson Avant got the loss for Georgia. She permitted four earned runs and six hits in five innings.
Oklahoma won its first 33 games this season before losing at Georgia.