Kelly Maxwell transferred to Oklahoma for a moment like the one that arrived on Thursday. She waited in the Oklahoma bullpen until she was called on with the tying run 120 feet away from scoring in the sixth inning of a potential clinching game for the Sooners.
Maxwell delivered. She got the groundball she needed, and though it drove in a run, Texas' Mia Scott was tagged out after rounding first base to end the inning. The Sooners sluggers piled on three runs to give Oklahoma some breathing room for the final frame, but Maxwell needed only the one. Facing Texas' best hitters, she went 1-2-3 to clinch No. 2 Oklahoma's 8-4 win and seal the fourth consecutive national championship for the Sooners.
"This year has been so hard, but Iβm grateful that Iβm here and grateful that the staff welcomed me with open arms," Maxwell told ESPN after the game.
Never before has a team won four consecutive national championships. Oklahoma has now accomplished the feat. The senior class leaves Norman, Okla., having never lost the final game of the season. Over the past four years, the Sooners were never run-ruled. They were never shut out. And they lost only one series.
That one series came in April to Texas, which sent the Longhorns to the No. 1 ranking. Oklahoma has since redeemed the loss twice over, topping the Longhorns in the Big 12 championship game and then sweeping the Women's College World Series finals.
It appeared the Longhorns were ready to halt the excitement in Oklahoma, however. Texas took the early 1-0 lead, and after Oklahoma took a 2-1 lead on a Kasidi Pickering home run, Texas struck right back with runs in the top of the third and fourth to claim an early 3-2 lead.
But the Sooner bats just kept coming. With the bases loaded, Cydney Sanders ripped a bases-clearing double to the right-center gap to push Oklahoma up 5-3.
Texas appeared to have a chance to come back. The Longhorns had runners on second and third with Scott coming up to the plate. Scott beat out an infield single with two out, but after running through the first base bag, she veered into the baseline as if she was considering going to first. She froze at first until second baseman Avery Hodge flipped over to Sanders, who tagged her for the final out.
Oklahoma gave Maxwell insurance when Jayda Coleman ripped a single with the bases loaded to drive in a run. Ella Parker boosted the lead with a two-run single that pushed Oklahoma to a four-run lead.
The Sooners, in winning their fourth straight national championship, tied Arizona for the second-most national championships with eight, trailing only UCLA, which has 12.
Sporting News tracked live scores and highlights from Thursday's Game 2 between Texas and Oklahoma.
MORE: Watch the 2024 Women's College World Series finals live with Fubo (free trial)
Texas vs. Oklahoma softball score
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | F | |
| Texas | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Oklahoma | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | X | 8 |
Women's College World Series live updates, highlights from Game 2
(All times Eastern)
10:51 p.m. End of game:And it's over. Stewart grounds out to third, and for the first time in NCAA history, a team has won four consecutive national championships as Oklahoma completes the four-peat.
10:50 p.m.:Atwood goes down swinging. Oklahoma is one out away from winning a fourth straight national championship.
10:48 p.m.:Martinez flies out to left, and there's one away.
10:44 p.m. End of sixth:Hansen rips a grounder to Scott, who steps on third to record the final out. Longhorns are down to their final three outs down by four.
10:43 p.m.:Brito walks to bring Hansen up to the plate with the bases loaded. Sooners have now sent all nine batters to the plate in this inning.
10:39 p.m. Oklahoma scoring play:Parker breaks the game open. She lines a base hit into center to plate a pair, and the Sooners now lead by four.Oklahoma 8, Texas 4
β Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) June 7, 2024EP adds two π
β6 | OU 8, UT 4#ChampionshipMindset | @espn pic.twitter.com/ui4ILpkXPX
10:35 p.m. Oklahoma scoring play:Coleman rips a base hit through the right side that plates a run to push the Sooners' lead back to 6-4. Jennings flies out on the next pitch to keep the bases loaded for Parker with two outs.Oklahoma 6, Texas 4
10:34 p.m.:Hodge is hit by the first pitch of the plate appearance, and the bases are loaded for Coleman.
10:33 p.m.:A challenge that Boone left first early was unsuccessful. Sanders then reaches base on a walk to put a pair of runners on with just one out for Hodge, who is 1-for-2 today.
10:28 p.m.:Pickering grounds out to second to start the bottom of the sixth, but Boone follows that up with a single pulled through the right side of the infield.
10:23 p.m. End top sixth:What was Scott doing? She hit an infield single that scored Mitchell from third. But after running through first, she turned into the base path and appeared frozen next to the first baseman. Hodge flipped to Sanders who put the tag on Scott for the easy out to end the inning. Had she stayed on the bag, Texas would have had runners on the corners for the No. 3 hitter Martinez. Instead, it's the end of the inning. Oklahoma 5, Texas 4
10:20 p.m.:Kelly Maxwell is coming out to pitch for the Sooners in the biggest at-bat of the game.
10:19 p.m.:Fourth strikeout for May as Dayton swings and misses at a changeup. Scott coming to bat with two outs.
10:17 p.m.:Maloney rips a double into the right-center gap. Boone gets to it quick to hold Mitchell to third. Tying run now in scoring position with the top of the order coming up.
10:16 p.m.:Henry is caught looking for the strikeout. That's already May's third strikeout in her first five batters faced.
10:14 p.m.:Mitchell leads off the top of the sixth with a walk, and the tying run will come to the plate in Henry.
10:08 p.m. End of fifth:Hansen hits a comebacker to Gutierrez, who flips over to first for the third out. Texas will bat trailing by two. The Longhorns will have two more innings to make up the deficit and avoid the sweep.
10:06 p.m.:The third straight full count ends in the hitter's favor as Brito lays off a pitch in the dirt for a walk.
10:04 p.m.:Back-to-back swinging strikeouts for Gutierrez as she gets Parker to come up empty on a changeup down the middle.
10:02 p.m.:Jennings fouled off ball four, then came up empty swinging at another drop ball that fell out of the zone for a strikeout.
9:58 p.m.:Citlaly Gutierrez is the new arm for the Longhorns in the bottom of the fifth.
9:56 p.m. End top fifth:Dominant inning out of the bullpen for May as she gets a groundout of Texas' best hitter, then fans Stewart and Washington to set down the side in order.
9:55 p.m.:Stewart goes down swinging at a rise ball for the second out.
9:53 p.m.:May gets a big first out as Atwood grounds out to short to lead off the fifth.
9:50 p.m.:Nicole May comes in to pitch for the Sooners in the fifth. The Sooners are already turning to their fourth arm of the day.
9:49 p.m. End of fourth:Coleman flies out in foul territory down the right field line. But the damage is done as Oklahoma takes a 5-3 lead in the fourth.
9:47 p.m.:Hodge lifts a high fly to right that is caught, but moves Maya Bland, running for Sanders, to third with two outs.
9:44 p.m. Oklahoma scoring play:The Sooners circle the wagons. Sanders ropes a double into the right-center gap that clears the bases and puts Oklahoma in front by a pair.Oklahoma 5, Texas 3
β Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) June 7, 2024Cyd Strikes π₯
πΊ ESPN#ChampionshipMindset | @SandersCydney pic.twitter.com/pWe45GOBOp
9:41 p.m.:Boone hits a slow roller to first, and she wins the race to the bag with Stewart. Sanders will step up to the plate with the bases loaded and one away.
9:40 p.m.:Hansen and Pickering go back-to-back with base hits. Hansen was nearly thrown out at second on the hit to right with Maloney trying to make her think she was going to catch it, but she reaches just in time. Two on, one out for Boone.
9:37 p.m.:An eight-pitch battle between Czech and Brito ends with a flyout to the center field warning track.
9:32 p.m. End top fourth:Martinez hits a high fly to right, but it's caught by Pickering for the third out.
9:29 p.m. Texas scoring play:Make it three straight innings with a run. Hodge botches a grounder to second off the bat of Scott, and that allows Henry to cross the plate and give the Longhorns their second lead of the day.Texas 3, Oklahoma 2
9:28 p.m.:Dayton lays down a solid bunt that nearly allows her to reach first, but the flip from Deal to first gets her just in time. Henry moves up to third with two away.
9:27 p.m.:Maloney swings and misses for the first out of the frame.
9:26 p.m.:Henry picks up her 27th stolen base of the season, swiping second without a throw after a low pitch from Deal.
9:24 p.m.:Henry smacks an opposite-field single to give the Longhorns a leadoff baserunner.
9:23 p.m.:Kierston Deal comes in to pitch for the Sooners.
9:19 p.m. End of third:Parker hits a deep fly, but Maloney has just enough room in front of the right-center warning track to secure the catch to end the inning.
9:18 p.m.:Jennings hits a sharp line drive right at Henry, but Hodge aggressively tags up and moves up to third.
9:17 p.m.:Coleman lays down a bunt to move Hodge up to second for Jennings, who hit a home run in her first AB yesterday.
9:15 p.m.:Estelle Czech is coming in to pitch for Morgan.
9:13 p.m.:Hodge's walk last inning was erased when Boone was ruled as having left early. She gets on base this time by slapping a base hit the other way on an 0-2 count to give Coleman a chance to bat with a runner on first.
9:09 p.m. End top third:Monticelli works out of the jam as she gets Mitchell to ground out to Sanders at first for the unassisted putout.
9:05 p.m.:Paytn Monticelli comes out to pitch for Oklahoma. Keeney has given up two earned runs on four hits and four walks, and she is responsible for all three runners on base.
9:04 p.m. Texas scoring play:Washington drives a base hit up the middle to drive home Martinez. Everyone else goes station to station to keep the bases loaded for Mitchell with two outs.Oklahoma 2, Texas 2
β Texas Softball (@TexasSoftball) June 7, 2024WE'RE TIED Y'ALL π€
T3 | Texas 2 OU 2#HookEm | πΊ ESPN pic.twitter.com/MSpI2BqQMQ
9:03 p.m.:Atwood moves up to second on a wild pitch, but it doesn't matter as Stewart works a five-pitch walk to load the bases for Washington. The Longhorns already have four walks today.
8:59 p.m.:Back-to-back pitches, back-to-back hits. Martinez grounds a base hit up the middle, then Atwood follows her up with a line drive just past the diving glove of Hodge. Martinez moves up to third to put runners on the corners for Stewart.
8:58 p.m.:Scott puts another good swing on an offering from Keeney that chases Boone back in left field, but it is caught again for another flyout. That's two strong swings from the Texas third baseman who homered yesterday.
8:56 p.m.:Dayton lifts a 1-0 pitch to foul territory in left, but Boone tracks it down for the out.
8:52 p.m. End of second:A huge challenge pays off for Mike White and the Longhorns. Boone left early, and she is ruled out. So take the walk off the board for Hodge and end the inning.
8:50 p.m.:Texas is challenging that Boone left early. On replay, it appears she might have left just barely early, which would then rule her out.
8:49 p.m.:Hodge works the walk to give the top of the lineup a chance to bat with runners on first and second and two away.
8:46 p.m.:Cydney Sanders pops out to third for the second out.
8:44 p.m.:On a 1-2 count, Rylie Boone rips a base hit under the glove of Stewart at first base for a single. Sooners up to three hits in the inning.
8:42 p.m. Oklahoma scoring play:The Sooners answer right back. Kasidi Pickering likes the first pitch she sees and she blasts it over the left-field wall for a two-run, go-ahead homer. That's her second homer in as many games.Oklahoma 2, Texas 1
β Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) June 7, 2024FIVE home runs for @PickeringKasidi in her debut NCAA Tournament πͺ
β2 | OU 2, UT 1#ChampionshipMindset | @espn pic.twitter.com/JrWcRMIzTa
8:41 p.m.:Kinzie Hansen hits a comebacker to the mound that Mac Morgan fields and throws to first, but Brito moves up to third.
8:39 p.m.:Alyssa Brito gets the bottom of the second started with a double that hits off the top of the center field wall, missing a home run by a few feet. The Sooners already with a runner in scoring position to lead off the inning.
8:36 p.m. End top second:Henry steals second, but Maloney grounds out to second to end the frame.
8:34 p.m. Texas scoring play:The Longhorns strike first. Kayden Henry lines a base hit into right that drives home Atwood and moves Mitchell up to third. Runners on the corners now for Ashton Maloney as Texas looks to add to its advantage.Texas 1, Oklahoma 0
β Texas Softball (@TexasSoftball) June 7, 2024send her home @henry_kayden π€
T2 | Texas 1 OU 0#HookEm | πΊ ESPN pic.twitter.com/CIy25BVVjX
8:32 p.m.:Joley Mitchell walks on four pitches, the third walk already issued by Keeney to the Texas lineup the first time through the order.
8:31 p.m.:Jennings fields a grounder from Washington, looks Atwood back to second, then makes a strong throw to nab Washington at first for the second out.
8:30 p.m.:Atwood reads a pitch in the dirt and takes off for second to swipe the base. Now a runner in scoring position for Alyssa Washington.
8:28 p.m.:Reese Atwood leads off the second with a walk, but Katie Stewart pops up to shortstop on the next pitch.
8:23 p.m. End of first:Texas mirrors Oklahoma in the bottom half of the inning. Ella Parker hits a grounder to Martinez, and the Longhorn shortstop takes it herself to second for one and throws to first to complete the inning-ending double play.
8:20 p.m.:Another hard hit to third, but this time, Scott fields the Tiare Jennings grounder. She gets Coleman at second for the fielder's choice, but Jennings reaches first on the play.
8:19 p.m.:It's called the hot corner for a reason. Jayda Coleman hits a blistering shot (75 mph) to third, and it deflects off the glove of Scott for a base hit.
8:15 p.m. End top first:Impressive double play turned by Avery Hodge, who fields the grounder from Viviana Martinez, takes it to second herself and throws it to first to end the half inning.
8:13 p.m.:Mia Scott puts a charge into the pitch from Keeney to the left-center gap, but it hangs up just long enough for Jayda Coleman to make the snag for the first out.
8:10 p.m.:Dayton draws a walk to give the Longhorns a leadoff baserunner.
8:09 p.m.:The first pitch to Bella Dayton is taken for a strike to begin the game.
8:04 p.m.:Texas was the home team in Game 1. It will be the road team on Thursday and will start by facing Karlie Keeney, who has thrown just 0.1 innings so far in the WCWS.
7:55 p.m.:Minutes away from the start of Game 2.
πΎπ‘π€ππ ππ£π ππ£. β±οΈ#ChampionshipMindset pic.twitter.com/lg6KUxFnkV
β Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) June 6, 2024
almost that time π€#HookEm pic.twitter.com/fcTFLbwKe0
β Texas Softball (@TexasSoftball) June 6, 2024
7:30 p.m.:Lineups are out for tonight's game. Here's a look at each team:
Texas:
- Bella Dayton, LF
- Mia Scott, 3B
- Viviana Martinez, SS
- Reese Atwood, C
- Katie Stewart, 1B
- Alyssa Washington, 2B
- Joley Mitchell, DP
- Kayden Henry, CF
- Ashton Maloney, RF
P: Mac Morgan
Oklahoma:
- Jayda Coleman, CF
- Tiare Jennings, SS
- Ella Parker, DP
- Alyssa Brito
- Kinzie Hansen, C
- Kasidi Pickering, RF
- Rylie Boone, LF
- Cydney Sanders, 1B
- Avery Hodge, 2B
P: Karlie Keeney
7:15 p.m.:Just about 45 minutes until the start of this pivotal Game 2. These teams are ready for the potential final game of the season.
Longhorn Nation bringing the energy π«Άπ€#HookEm pic.twitter.com/Il6HWCnnG8
β Texas Softball (@TexasSoftball) June 6, 2024
π π€πβπ¨ π£π€π© πππ£ππ¨πππ.#ChampionshipMindset pic.twitter.com/xKtT5AMFEP
β Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) June 6, 2024
How to watch 2024 Women's College World Series finals Game 2
- Start time:8 p.m. ET | 7 p.m. CT
- TV channel:ESPN
- Live stream:ESPN+ | Fubo
The final three games of the 2024 NCAA Division I softball season will all be carried by ESPN, each broadcast at 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. CT).
Beth Mowins will handle play-by-play, with Jessica Mendoza and Michele Smith joining her in the booth to provide analysis. Holly Rowe will be reporting from the dugouts. This marks the 17th time the quartet has worked together for the Women's College World Series, and it will be Mowins' 30th edition.
Those hoping to stream the series can find it on ESPN+ or Fubo, which offers a free trial.
Women's College World Series schedule 2024
Wednesday, June 5
| Game 1 |
| No. 2 Oklahoma 8, No. 1 Texas 3 |
Thursday, June 6
| Game 2 |
| No. 2 Oklahoma 8, No. 1 Texas 4 |
