Cydney Sanders, Oklahoma bounce Oregon to stay alive in WCWS

OKLAHOMA CITY — Cydney Sanders hit a pair of home runs to lift second-seeded Oklahoma to a 4-1 win over 16th-seeded Oregon in a Women's College World Series elimination game Sunday.

The Sooners (52-8) will take on star pitcher NiJaree Canady and Texas Tech on Monday night, needing to beat the Red Raiders twice to advance to the WCWS Championship Series and keep alive their hopes for a fifth consecutive title.

Oregon's season ends 54-10.

With the game tied 1-1 in the third, Sanders crushed Lyndsey Grein's 3-2 changeup out to left for a two-run home run.

Then with one out in the fifth, Sanders did it again, blasting another 3-2 offering from Grein way out to left to extend the lead to 4-1.

That was plenty for right-hander Sam Landry and the Sooners.

Landry threw 4 1/3 scoreless innings of relief, allowing just two hits and striking out six, to lift the Sooners to their ninth consecutive WCWS victory when facing elimination — breaking a tie for the longest such streak in WCWS history.

Oregon took a 1-0 lead in the second on Dezianna Patmon's solo home run.

The Sooners quickly tied it on Isabela Emerling's solo shot in the bottom of the inning.

The loss was the Ducks' first this season when they hit at least one homer. Oregon was 42-0 when hitting a home run before Sunday.