May 27—For nearly three innings of Saturday’s NCAA Norman Super Regional, Oklahoma was feeling the same pressure that they’ve inflicted on so many of their opponents this season.

The key, however, was that it didn’t last the full three innings, only two innings, two outs and two strikes. For the second game in a row, No. 16-seed Clemson gave the top-seeded Sooners a true dogfight — something that the Sooners haven’t experienced often during their NCAA record tying 47-game win streak.

The Tigers pulled themselves within one of the Sooners in the bottom of the fourth inning on a three-run home run by Maddie Moore. In the bottom of the fifth, McKenzie Clark gave the Tigers their first lead of the Super Regional with a two-run homer into centerfield.

By the time Kinzie Hansen went to the plate with two runners on base in the top of the seventh inning, the Sooners trailed 7-4 and were down to their last out.

“I sat in the dugout, and I was praying,” Hansen said. “Truthfully, I prayed before I got to the on deck circle.”

The first two pitches were strikes. On the third pitch, Clemson’s Millie Thompson threw a pitch right on the upper left corner of the zone, and Hansen blasted over the left field wall.

A record-breaking sellout crowd of 2,127, all witnessing what is expected to be the final game at Marita Hynes Field, erupted as Hansen rounded the bases and was mobbed by teammates. The Sooners had come back from a three-run deficit to tie the game, 7-7.

After forcing extra innings, a home run by OU’s Tiare Jennings (her second of the game) ended up being the difference.

The Sooners held on for an 8-7 win in two extra innings, punching their ticket to the Women’s College World Series, while breaking the NCAA Division I record for consecutive wins.

All this with one of the most prominent figures in Oklahoma softball in attendance, Marita Hynes.

For head coach Patty Gasso, who celebrated her birthday on Saturday, it was all too much to take in.

“Words cannot express what that felt like,” Gasso said. “An emotional roller coaster of highs and lows. Momentum. Lack of momentum. But in the end it was one of the most gritty performances I’ve seen from Jordy (Bahl).”

Bahl was spectacular in keeping the Sooners’ comeback bid alive.

After replacing Kierston Deal to start the seventh inning, she retired three straight batters, including a strikeout of Valerie Cagle. The Sooners’ offense went down in order in the top of the eighth, but Bahl only needed six pitches to get out of the inning.

Jennings crushed the first pitch of the ninth inning deep into left center field for a home run.

“That moment was just so awesome running home to my girls,” Jennings said. “Overall, what a game. No words.”

Clark landed a single to give the Tigers’ offense some life in the bottom of the ninth, but Bahl forced a pop-up three pitches later to seal the win. The Tigers battled back from an early 4-0 deficit to give the Sooners one of their toughest challenges of the season.

The Sooners used all four of the pitchers in their rotation in order to hold on for the win.

Nicole May started the game and didn’t allow a runner on base until the third inning. The Tigers hit a pair of singles in the bottom of the third, but Tiare Jennings helped end the threat, by catching a line drive and tossing the ball to Grace Lyons at second for a double play.

Alex Storako came in to replace May in the fifth, but gave up a home run on her first atbat. Kierston Deal entered the game before the Sooners could get another out and didn’t allow another earned run to score.

Deal went 1.2 innings and allowed no hits and no earned runs with one walk and one strikeout during a pivotal stretch of the game.

The Tigers finished with eight hits including two home runs. Unlike Game 1, the Sooners’ defense went relatively mistake-free in the second meeting between the two teams.

The Sooners had 10 hits, with five of those coming on home runs. Jayda Coleman led off the game with a solo home run and Jennings followed her up with a homer of her own. Alyssa Brito hit a two-run home run in the top of the fourth inning to put the Sooners up 4-0.

“It was just the understanding. .. we know this ... we’re never out of a game,” Gasso said. “No matter what. We could be down by five, four, whatever. We’re not out of the game. And we believe that.”

Oklahoma advances to the WCWS for the seventh consecutive season. Game times and television designations for the WCWS will be announced at a later date.