Oklahoma handled itself in championship style in the little league World Series final

What ever it needed, Oklahoma had, which it why it was so successful in winning its first Little League Junior Softball World Series championship.

Undefeated in eight starts and playing at the new site, Elm Park’s Stalling Stadium in Greenville, N.C. this was unprecedented as the Green County Little League team from Muskingan joined the university in Norman, in a first-timer after the Sooners won a fifth NCAA title this season.

In the Monday semifinals, the Big Red cruised to a 7-0 shutdown of previously unbeaten Missouri. In the Wednesday finals, it again won in impressive style by routing Virginia, 9-1.

It was a remarkable run through the tournament. Oklahoma outscored its opponents, 52-15, with 10 of the runs yielded coming in back-to-back, 7-5, 8-5 victorious over Southwest Region foe Texas West. It almost played the Texans a third time, but Chesterfield, Va., came from five runs down in the top of the sixth to post six runs in a 7-5 comeback.

But Virginia, which scored the initial run in couldn’t contain the Oklahoma bats. In the semis against Columbia, Oklahoma scored three times in the third inning and four times in the fourth, and coasted behind the pitching of right-handed Joie Griffin, a dandy defense, and plenty of speed that brought hits when fielders couldn’t throw out the runners.

Next came Virginia, which even scored, turning in its lone run in the top of the second when its base runner on third sped home on a passed back. The state that won its lone LL championship behind McLean in 2005, was also unable to keep Oklahoma from a second-straight hit parade.

For right after Chesterfield scored, back came Oklahoma with five runs in the bottom of the frame, three more in the third, and one in the fourth. It had bases loaded for the fourth time in the fifth inning and was within two runs of the the mercy-rule applying via the 10-run rule, but it remained that in the sixth when Griffin struck out the first two batters and got the final out on a grounder to the circle assisted by Griffin.

That totaled 16 runs in the two games to go with 29 hits, only one miscue, and both times Oklahoma had every hitter reach base. In the first frame of the finals versus 6-2 Virginia, the Southeast winner, Oklahoma loaded the bags twice, but didn’t score.

But in the second, with two down, they picked up six-straight singles to go with a walk and one hit-batter, for five runs, with the big blow coming on a two-run double by heavy-hitting Juliana Hutchness, who went 4-for-5 and batted in four runs while stealing two bases.

Griffin allowed only three hits while striking out nine and issuing one walk, and her team also took advantage of three Virginia errors. Righty Cambri Casey, who hurled a no-hitter in the quarterfinals, came on to pitch the last two innings, striking out four and not yielding a hit.

Casey also added a pair of hits and one RBI, swiped a base, and Griffin’s bat also brought two safeties and she scored twice. Then there was Hutchness coming away with a .458 batting average in the tournament. As a team, its 52 runs made for an average 6.2 runs per game, the opposition just under two runs a game.

“I didn’t mind taking the circle for the second day in a row,” Griffin said, “and coach wanted Casey in the field, so it was no problem. I was relaxed, had the same patient control, and mixed up my stuff again.”

Oklahoma received two shutouts from Casey and one from Griffin in the tournament, with both going the distance. In the field, the usual impressive defense had only two miscues in the tournament, with one a throwing error.

Meanwhile, Virginia’s strength came from its pitching, but against Texas, which it trailed 4-2 after five innings, it started Kaylee Hodges and she was relieved by usual starter Jenna Keefer in the fourth. In the finals, Keefer started and was replaced by Jasmine Miller after Oklahoma went in front 8-0.

“Oh, they were good, very good,” said Keefer. “They had all the key ingredients and was well prepared. But it was neat for us to gain the championship contest, and our only excuse was the team we played.”

O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A twice in a short span. The Sooners won 2-of-3 over Florida State to ring up another championship. Plus, they tacked on a ninth-straight Big 12 title. Meanwhile, the Little League girls, ages 10-12, won it all for the first time.

Big plus for its gender, now let’s see what the 2nd-ranked Oklahoma football team can deliver.