UCLA pitcher Rachel Garcia smiled as Oklahoma’s Shay Knighten’s game-tying home run fell beyond the outfield fence in the seventh inning.
“That was just like our thing this entire week,” Garcia said, “was that every run I gave up, I looked at my teammates and said, We're going to be OK, we'll punch back."
Garcia, who was voted Women’s College World Series All-Tournament Most Outstanding Player, pitched all but two innings in UCLA’s trip through the WCWS to a national title. She capped the performance with a 5-4 victory over Oklahoma Tuesday at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium.