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OKLAHOMA CITY — Jocelyn Alo and Tiare Jennings took turns making history for most home runs and RBIs during a Women’s College World Series on Wednesday night as Oklahoma destroyed Texas 16-1 in the opening game of the championship finals.
All told, Oklahoma hit six home runs in the win over its rival, beating UCLA’s previous WCWS record of four singles games in 2019, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
The first-placed Sooners fell 1-0 down when starting pitcher Hope Trautwein put in a run at the lead in the first inning, but the Longhorns’ lead wouldn’t last long.
After a leadoff double by Jayda Coleman, Alo stepped onto the plate and hit a two-run homer over the left field fence that set a record for most RBIs in a single WCWS at 12.
Four innings later, Alo continued to extend her record when she drilled the ball over the midfield fence — her fifth WCWS home run, which broke the record she set a year earlier.
In doing so, Alo became the only player in WCWS history with two multiple home run games. And she did it that same year after hitting two homers against UCLA in the semifinals.
Alo, who was already the career home run leader at 122, moved up to second all-time in career RBIs at 323. Former Arizona All-American Jenny Dalton-Hill is No. 1 with 328.
But it wasn’t just the Alo show for Oklahoma. Jennings, who bats behind Alo in the batting order, hit her fourth and fifth WCWS homers and gave her a share of the record.
Jennings also tied Alo’s 13-RBI mark with her solo homer in the fifth inning.
When asked if they see themselves as the greatest power hit duo of all time, they also simply replied, “Yeah, I think we are.”
“I’ve said this before, I’ll say it again: Tiare will always have my back,” Alo said. “Even if I don’t have it that day, she will bring it. I know that in a way she will always answer for me.
“I think we feed on each other very well.”
Oklahoma’s 16 runs were the most in a championship series since the format’s inception in 2005.
The 15-run win over Texas was the biggest win in the history of the Red River Rivalry, which was played for the 77th time on Wednesday night.
“They hit first, but we hit back and hit harder,” said Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso.
Gasso, who has already won five national championships, said she was not surprised by the lopsided win.
“You’re not afraid of these attitudes,” she said. “They’re really enjoying all that excitement and the big stage. I think they are at their best when the lights are bright.”
New Oklahoma soccer coach Brent Venables was there to watch the game along with some of the team’s players.
“It’s just cool to see,” said Alo. “The sport just keeps growing. Now football players are coming. I think I’ve seen Trae Young in the stands too. People want to see us play. They love to see us play. They love to watch us dominate.”
The Big 12 enemies will face off again on Thursday at 7:30pm ET.
A win would give Oklahoma back-to-back national championships, while a loss would force a winner-take-all game Friday night.
Texas midfielder Bella Dayton said the team must forget what happened and move on.
“We have to remind everyone that every week we’ve played we’ve had our backs to the wall,” said catcher Mary Iakopo. “So it’s just another elimination game, so go all in.”