UCLA slugs its way to 11th softball title

Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY

Andrea Harrison hit a grand slam, Megan Langenfeld homered for the third time in two games and UCLA put on a record-setting offensive show to beat Arizona 15-9 Tuesday night and win its 11th Women’s College World Series title.

Julie Burney and Samantha Camuso also homered for the Bruins (50-11) as a matchup of college softball’s two most successful programs turned into a home run derby.

Stacie Chambers went deep twice and Lini Koria hit a solo shot for Arizona (52-14) as the teams combined to set a World Series record with seven long balls in the game. Ten of the 29 previous World Series didn’t have that many home runs during the entire event.

But in this new offensive era, the championship trophy is headed back to a familiar place.

It’s the first title for UCLA since the program won back-to-back trophies in 2003-04, and the first won by fourth-year coach Kelly Inouye-Perez. She won three NCAA championships as a catcher for the Bruins between 1989 and 1992.

A 12th title for the Bruins, won in 1995, was later vacated due to NCAA rules infractions.

Wearing black armbands with the initials of late UCLA basketball coach John Wooden and a school flag flying at half-staff in center field, the fifth-seeded Bruins batted around in the second and fifth innings while setting a championship-round record for scoring.

The 24 runs scored in the game were five more than in any previous World Series game.

Langenfeld was voted the event’s Most Outstanding Player after going 12 for 17 with four home runs and nine RBIs. She reached base in 18 of her 23 plate appearances.