Sooner Softball Secures Fifth Straight WCWS Appearance

TUCSON, Ariz. Oklahoma gave Louisiana-Lafayette a beating not unlike the one it had endured at the hands of the Ragin' Cajuns earlier on Sunday, but OU's 15-0 triumph gave it the NCAA Region 1 Softball Championship and a berth in the Women's College World Series this week.

With the win, OU earned its fifth consecutive trip to softball's grand stage and will play as the championship's No. 1 seed. OU will face No. 8 seed Washington on Thursday, May 27, at 6 p.m. at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.

OU pitcher Kami Keiter shut down the often potent Cajuns' hitting attack, limiting UL to four hits in a shutout effort.

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The Sooners (44-20-1) came out swinging in the first, putting six runs on the board keyed by as many hits, including a two-run single by Christina Enea, a run-scoring hit by Mariee Mena and a three-run double by Keiter. The Sooners chased UL starter Brooke Mitchell, who was pitching in her sixth game in two days.

The Sooners batted around again in the second inning, plating five runs on four hits with another RBI from Enea, two more from Mena and one from April Valdez. Louisiana-Lafayatte coach Stefni Lotief pulled reliever Holly Tankersley in the first of a couple switches back and forth by she and Mitchell, trying to to quell the Oklahoma onslaught.

OU started out double, fly ball, double, home run in the third by Kristin Vesely, Heather Scaglione, Enea and Jessica Leslie to underscore what the outcome would be. OU took a 14-0 lead into the bottom of the third. Vesely picked up another RBI single in the fourth to give the Sooners a 15-0 lead.

Keiter was named Most Outstanding Player of the region, winning five games in the circle against one loss.

The Sooners tagged UL pitching for 15 hits in the final game.

Oklahoma will enter the Series as the No. 1 seed, playing the Region 8 representative -- Washington of the Pac-10. the Sooners meet the Huskies at 6 p.m. (CDT) Thursday at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.

Twelve players earned NCAA All-Region 1 Honors:

Kami Keiter, Oklahoma, junior, Most Outstanding Player; Brooke Mitchell, UL, junior; Mackenzie Vandergeest, Arizona senior; Wendy Allen, Arizona, senior; McKenna Hughes, South Carolina, freshman; Danyele Gomez, UL, sophomore; Holly Tankersley, UL, freshman; Mariee Mena, OU, sophomore; Heather Scaglione, OU, junior; Kristin Amegin, Northwestern, sophomore; Christina Enea, OU junior; Ashley Evans, UL, sophomore.

Oklahoma Coach Patty Gasso -- "We have been waiting for this moment. This season came down to one game. We knew we had to forget what had happened in the first game. It was a whole new start."

"Being the visiting team in the second game gave us a huge advantage. Kami (Keiter) was able to go out there with a six-run lead and a lot of confidence. It was huge."

"Louisiana-Lafayette is a tremendous hitting team. They have unbelievable power. We were really struggling at first. They can really swing the bats."

UL Coach Stefni Lotief -- "These kids are champions. We are really proud of the way they came back after going through the loser's bracket. I am so proud of them. They just came up a game short."

"We had an incredible season. This team is filled with a lot of accomplished players. They feel a lot of pride. Right now they're just hurting a little bit. They just came up a bit short."

The Sooners will return to Norman on Monday afternoon before heading to Oklahoma City for Thursday's action.

Tickets for the 2004 WCWS are available by calling the Oklahoma City All-Sports Association at (405) 236-5000.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Sooner Softball Secures Fifth Straight WCWS Appearance

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