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UCLA wins Women’s College World Series, Rachel Garcia makes history

By Ethan Lee

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - JUNE 4: The UCLA Bruins celebrate their victory against the Oklahoma Sooners during the Division I Women's Softball Championship held at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium-OGE Energy Field on June 4, 2019 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Photo by Shane Bevel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - JUNE 4: The UCLA Bruins celebrate their victory against the Oklahoma Sooners during the Division I Women's Softball Championship held at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium-OGE Energy Field on June 4, 2019 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Photo by Shane Bevel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) /
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The UCLA Bruins claimed their 13th national title Tuesday evening after beating the Oklahoma Sooners in the 2019 Women’s College World Series finals.

A total of 64 NCAA softball teams entered postseason play with the goal of winning the 2019 Women’s College World Series. 63 of those teams failed to accomplish that goal. After Tuesday night’s 5-4 walk-off win over the Oklahoma Sooners, the UCLA Bruins claimed another national title.

For the 13th time in program history, the UCLA Bruins claimed a national championship. Tuesday night, against the Oklahoma Sooners, UCLA won in walk-off fashion, completing the Bruins run through Oklahoma City and the 2019 Women’s College World Series.

The 5-4 win over OU gave UCLA its 12th Women’s College World Series championship.

UCLA started the game off with back-to-back home runs, putting the Bruins up 2-0 in the bottom of the 1st inning. The Sooners would fight their way back into the game in an attempt to fight off elimination and force a game three.

In the top of the 3rd, the Sooners hit a solo home run of their own thanks to Sydney Romero, cutting UCLA’s lead to 2-1. The Bruins got that run back in the bottom half of the 3rd inning off of another home run. Aaliyah Jordan stretched the Bruins’ lead out to 3-1.

However, the Sooners weren’t done there.

In the top of the 4th, with a runner on second, Falepolima Aviu drove in a run with an RBI single, trimming the lead to 3-2. Shortly thereafter, with another runner on second, Lynnsie Elam tied the game up at 3-3 with an RBI double.

That tie wouldn’t last long as the Bruins put themselves on top once more with another solo home run in the bottom of the 5th inning. Brianna Tautalafua picked UCLA up again, giving the Bruins a 4-3 advantage as the game wound down.

That score held until the top of the 7th. With two outs and the bases empty, Shay Knighten came through for Oklahoma once again. Knighten hit a home run, tying the game at 4-4 and proving the Sooners wouldn’t give up.

But, the game wouldn’t go into extra innings and the top-seeded Sooners couldn’t force a Game 3.

Although home runs had defined how both teams were scoring through most of the game, UCLA’s Kinsley Washington called game by hitting a walk-off RBI single, ending the game at 5-4.

https://twitter.com/NCAAsoftball/status/1136110468731293696?s=20

Oklahoma was borderline unbeatable all season before meeting UCLA. The Bruins were simply better than Oklahoma three times this season, including twice in the Women’s College World Series.

With the victory last night, the Bruins’ Rachel Garcia is the fourth player in NCAA softball history to win the Women’s College World Series and the National Player of the Year. Garcia joins Lauren Haeger (Florida), Keilani Ricketts (Oklahoma), and Danielle Lawrie (Washington).

The UCLA Bruins sit on the throne as national champs once more and are officially the top team in the country in 2019.