Sanders’ 2 HRs power Oklahoma to WCWS semis

OKLAHOMA CITY — Cydney Sanders hit two home runs and four-time defending national champion Oklahoma beat Oregon 4-1 on Sunday night to reach the Women’s College World Series semifinals and eliminate the Ducks.

Sanders’ two-run homer in the third put the Sooners up 3-1, and her solo shot in the fifth made it 4-1. Isabela Emerling hit a solo home run for the Sooners (52-8).

Dezianna Patmon’s homer provided the only run for Oregon.

Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso got the win against Oregon coach Melyssa Lombardi, a longtime assistant for her with the Sooners.

Oklahoma will play Texas Tech in the semifinals on Monday for the right to play in the best-of-three championship series. The Sooners will need to beat the Red Raiders and star pitcher NiJaree Canady twice to advance in the double-elimination format, while the Red Raiders will need just one win to play for the national title for the first time.

Oklahoma’s Sam Landry earned the win on Sunday in 4⅓ innings of scoreless relief. She allowed two hits, struck out six and walked one. Ella Parker and Kasidi Pickering each had two hits for the Sooners.

Oregon (54-10) won the Big Ten regular-season championship in its first year in the league.