Brady hits 2 homers; UCLA stuns No. 1 Oklahoma to stay alive

By CLIFF BRUNT
AP Sports Writer

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Maya Brady hit two home runs, and No. 5 seed UCLA defeated No. 1 Oklahoma 7-3 in a Women’s College World Series semifinal on Monday.

Because Oklahoma (56-3) was previously unbeaten in the double-elimination format and UCLA had a loss, the Bruins (51-9) need to beat the Sooners twice to qualify for the best-of-three championship series. The teams will play again Monday afternoon to decide which team will advance.

Brady is the niece of seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback tweeted his reaction.

Megan Faraimo (24-5) got the win and Holly Azevedo had three innings of hitless relief for the save.

Nicole May (15-1) allowed five runs in 2 1/3 innings for the defending national champion Sooners.

UCLA’s Delanie Wisz hit a two-run homer in the top of the first. The Bruins nearly got more, but left two on as May escaped further damage in a 36-pitch inning.

Jayda Coleman led off the Sooners half of the inning with a homer.

Brady’s three-run blast in the third put UCLA up 5-1, and Oklahoma’s Jordy Bahl, who had missed most of the past month with an arm injury, stepped in to replace May.

Bahl — The NFCA Freshman of the Year — slowed UCLA’s offense enough to allow Oklahoma to rally. Grace Lyons’ two-run homer in the fourth cut the Bruins’ lead to 5-3.

Azevedo replaced Faraimo in the fifth inning. Coleman walked to bring up Jocelyn Alo with two outs. But Azevedo struck out Alo — the two-time reigning USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year — to escape the inning.

Brady’s two-run shot in the seventh increased UCLA’s lead to 7-3.

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