Alo’s homerun helps Oklahoma top Alabama, advance to title series

Jocelyn Alo’s monster two-run homer in the fifth inning helped Oklahoma defeat Alabama 7-3 on Sunday night to qualify for the championship series.
    
Alo’s shot cleared the center field seats, the cameras and a slow-pitch fence that is 300 feet to center to give the Sooners a 4-1 lead.
    
Oklahoma will play UCLA in a best-of-three series starting Monday. Oklahoma seeks its third Women’s College World Series title in four years and its fourth championship this decade. UCLA has 12 national titles, but none since 2010.
    
UCLA qualified when Rachel Garcia’s walk-off homer in the 10th beat Washington 3-0 on Sunday. Garcia also threw 179 pitches and struck out 16 to earn the win.
    
Alabama would have had to beat Oklahoma twice on Sunday to advance because Oklahoma beat the Crimson Tide on Thursday and the Sooners were unbeaten in the double-elimination format. In the first game, Alabama pinch-hitter Caroline Hardy singled to score Kloyee Anderson in the bottom of the eighth to clinch a 1-0 win for the Crimson Tide.
    
In the second game, Oklahoma got its offense going early. Caleigh Clifton doubled to score Sydney Romero, then Clifton scored on a wild pitch to give the Sooners a 2-0 lead in the first inning.
    
Oklahoma started Giselle “G” Juarez, but she was replaced in the second inning shortly after giving up a solo homer to Reagan Dykes.
    
Alo’s homer gave the Sooners a cushion, but Skylar Wallace’s two-run homer in the sixth cut Oklahoma’s lead to 4-3.
    
Oklahoma’s Nicole Mendes answered in the bottom of the sixth with a two-run homer that gave the Sooners a 6-3 edge. Grace Lyons tacked on a solo blast that made it 7-3.
    
In the first game, Alabama freshman Montana Fouts pitched a shutout. She threw 143 pitches and struck out five for the Crimson Tide.