The University of Oklahoma's softball team captured its third national championship Wednesday night after defeating Auburn University 2-1.
Auburn's Emily Carosone, the star of Tuesday's comeback win with a grand slam in the bottom of the eighth inning, couldn't follow it up.
In the bottom of the first, she committed an error on a grounder by Shay Knighten, and Caleigh Clifton scored for the Sooners when Carosone lost control of a throw to first. Knighten then scored on a slow-bouncing infield single to make it 2-0.
Those were the only runs O-U was able to score, and after the game head coach Patty Gasso credited the defense and the winning pitcher, Paige Parker, who pitched a complete game.
"Paige was money and everybody kind of talked about her in the 7th having some problems. She was money in the 7th,” Gasso told SoonerSportsTV. “So defense was fantastic, and Paige and our defense kept us in that game because our offense was a little stagnant as we got later in the game."
Parker improved to 5-0 at the Women's College World Series.
The team finished the season with a 57-8 record. The Sooners also won national championships in 2000 and 2013.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report
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