OKLAHOMA CITY -- Oklahoma made it a year of firsts for its team and the Women's College World Series as the Sooners claimed the national title with a 3-1 victory over defending champion UCLA May 29 at Don E. Porter Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.

It was Oklahoma's first trip to the Women's College World Series, and the Sooners became the first team east of the Rocky Mountains to win the title since 1987. It is the third time in NCAA softball history that a team qualifying for the series for the first time has won the crown. The others were UCLA in the first championship in 1982 and Texas A&M in 1983.

"We are completely overwhelmed with emotion," said Sooners head coach Patty Gasso. "As a coach, this is everything that I ever could have dreamed of accomplishing with a team of great, hard-working athletes. This is a moment that we have envisioned, and sometimes all that we have been able to do is envision it."

Oklahoma became the first host institution in Division I softball history to win the title, a goal that was an added incentive to the Sooners who have hosted the event nine times.

Attendance at the Women's College World Series set a four-day record of 38,102, topping the total of 27,553 in 1998. The championship game drew 8,049. UCLA players, though, refuted the notion that the hometown crowd got to them.

"We try to focus on what goes on inside the white lines," said UCLA senior Julie Adams. "When it comes to this part of the season, you have to have mental toughness and discipline. The crowd did not hurt us."

If the crowd didn't affect the Bruins' bid for the title, Oklahoma pitcher Jennifer Stewart did. Stewart, who was the tournament's most outstanding player, gave up just two runs in 23 innings during the series, including one to UCLA.

"I am very excited and emotional," Stewart said. "It all hasn't sunk in. It has been great having the team behind me every pitch and every out."

The team was behind Stewart on offense also, jumping ahead 3-0 in third inning of the title game behind Lisa Carey's two-run home run and an RBI single by Kelli Braitsch. Carey's homer was the second by the junior in the series and a school-record 20th of the season.

UCLA came back to score a run in the bottom of the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Julie Marshall. The Bruins were in position to score in the bottom of the seventh with runners on first and second with two outs when Crissy Buck, who was on second base, was called out for leaving too early.

"Crissy thought the pitcher was out of the circle, which would have allowed her to go to third," said UCLA head coach Sue Enquist.

Enquist questioned the call amidst the Oklahoma players celebrating their title.

"I wanted clarification from the umpire," she said. "It was such a tough call. I just had to clarify that the umpire was making a ruling on the correct situation. That way we all at UCLA can walk away and say the umpire made the right call. I was satisfied that the umpire made the right call."

Women's College World Series Umpire in Chief Lisa Rudloff later issued an official statement that said: "In the judgment of the umpire, the runner was at second base in contact with second base, and the pitcher was in the circle. Then the runner left second base, making it a dead-ball situation, and the runner was out."

It is the fifth time in UCLA history that the Bruins have finished runner-up in the series. The Bruins earned the right to play in the championship game by eliminating Southern Mississippi 6-0, in the semifinals.

Oklahoma, which used a Carey homer to beat California, 2-1, in its opening game of the series, defeated Arizona in the second semifinal game. Both UCLA and Oklahoma advanced to the championship without a loss throughout regional and Women's College World Series play.

CHAMPIONSHIP SUMMARY

Regionals:

Regional No. 1 -- Washington 5, Army 0;Mississippi St. 6, Chattanooga 1; Utah 1, Western Ill. 0 (8 inn.); Chattanooga 6, Army 4 (9 inn.); Washington 6, Western Ill. 0; Mississippi St. 11, Utah 3 (6 inn.); Washington 4, Mississippi St. 1; Utah 2, Chattonooga 1; Utah 4, Mississippi St. 1; Washington 9, Utah 0 (5 inn.). (Washington advances.)

Regional No. 2 -- Arizona 8, Middle Tenn. St. 0 (6 inn.); Nebraska 8, Illinois St. 0 (5 inn.); South Carolina 10, Massachusetts 0 (6 inn.); Illinois St. 3, Middle Tenn. St. 1; Arizona 10, Massachusetts 0 (6 inn.); Nebraska 11, South Carolina 1 (6 inn.); Arizona 13, Nebraska 0 (5 inn.); South Carolina 7, Illinois St. 4; Nebraska 9, South Carolina 0 (5 inn.); Arizona 5, Nebraka 0. (Arizona advances).

Regional No. 3 -- Oklahoma 11, Harvard 0 (5 inn.); Oregon St. 1, Northwestern 0 (10 inn.); Arkansas 5, Cal St. Northridge 0; Northwestern 9, Harvard 6; Oklahoma 2, Cal St. Northridge 1; Oregon St. 4, Arkansas 1; Oklahoma 5, Oregon St. 3; Northwestern 5, Arkansas 0; Oregon St. 4, Northwestern 0; Oklahoma 3, Oregon St. 2. (Oklahoma advances.)

Regional No. 4 -- UCLA 8, Canisius 0 (5 inn.); Iowa 9, Bethune-Cookman 1 (5 inn.); Florida St. 2, Long Beach St. 0; Canisius 3, Bethune-Cookman 2 (10 inn.); UCLA 10, Long Beach St. 4; Florida St. 4, Iowa 1; UCLA 6, Florida St. 1; Iowa 2, Canisius 1 (9 inn.); Florida St. 4, Iowa 2; UCLA 7, Florida St. 1. (UCLA advances.)

Regional No. 5 -- Arizona St. 9, Coastal Caro. 1 (6 inn.); Alabama 1, Fla. Atlantic 0 (9 inn.); Penn St. 3, Texas A&M 2; Coastal Caro. 4, Fla. Atlantic 2; Arizona St. 4, Texas A&M 2; Alabama 5, Penn St. 4 (9 inn.); Alabama 4, Arizona St. 1; Coastal Caro. 3, Penn St. 1; Arizona St. 2, Coastal Caro. 1; Alabama 3, Arizona St. 1. (Alabama advances.)

Regional No. 6 -- Fresno St. 10, UMBC 1 (5 inn.); Cal St. Fullerton 2, Texas 1; California 2, Florida 0; Texas 6, UMBC 0; Florida 1, Fresno St. 0; California 3, Cal St. Fullerton 2; Fresno St. 4, Cal St. Fullerton 3; Florida 5, Texas 2 (8 inn.); Fresno St. 2, California 0; California 2, Florida 1; California 2, Fresno St. 0. (California advances.)

Regional No. 7 -- LSU 7, Northwestern St. 1; Southern Miss. 3, Oregon 0; Hofstra 2, La.-Lafayette 1; Oregon 4, Northwestern St. 1; La.-Lafayette 4, LSU 1; Southern Miss. 14, Hofstra 1; LSU 2, Hofstra 1; Oregon 4, La.-Lafayette 3; LSU 1, Southern Miss. 0 (13 inn.); Southern Miss 3, Oregon 1; Southern Miss. 1, LSU 0 (9 inn.). (Southern Miss. advances.)

Regional No. 8 -- Central Mich. 2, Stanford 1 (13 inn.); Notre Dame 2, Ill.-Chicago 0; DePaul 8, Michigan 0 (6 inn.); Michigan 5, Stanford 4; Ill.-Chicago 2, Central Mich. 0; DePaul 1, Notre Dame 0; Central Mich. 2, Notre Dame 1; Michigan 3, Ill.-Chicago 1; DePaul 5, Central Mich. 0; DePaul 3, Michigan 0. (DePaul advances.)

Women's College World Series

Game No. 1

Vanessa Saavedra, Lindsay Chouniard (1) and Tatum Allen; Jennifer Spediacci and Jenny Topping. W -- Spediacci. L -- Saavedra. DP -- DePaul 1. LOB -- DePaul 2, Washington 5. 2B -- Rosie Leutzinger. HR -- Shavaughne Desecki, DePaul; Jaime Clark, Washington. SB -- DePaul. SH -- Jenny Davis, DePaul; Spediacci, Washington; Melissa Downs, Washington.

Game No. 2

Shelley Laird and Lacy Prejean; Amanda Freed and Julie Marshall. W -- Freed. L -- Laird. E -- Ginger Jones, Alabama; Jennifer Reach, Alabama; Paula White, Alabama; Julie Adams, UCLA; Lyndsey Klein, UCLA. DP -- UCLA 1. LOB -- Alabama 6, UCLA 6. HR -- Klein. SB -- Reach. SH -- Suzanne Olcott, Alabama; Natasha Watley, UCLA; Crissy Buck, UCLA; Jones.

Game No. 3

Jocelyn Forest and Courtney Scott; Lana Moran, Jennifer Stewart (5) and Ashli Barrett. W -- Stewart. L -- Forest. HBP -- Moran (Candace Harper); Forest (Mandy Fulton, Jennifer Stump). E -- Kelli Braitsch. LOB -- California 7; Oklahoma 6. 2B -- Andrea Davis, Oklahoma. CS -- Erin Evans, Oklahoma. SH -- Eryn Munahan, California; Kristen Marley, California; Barrett; Leah Gulla, Oklahoma.

Game No. 4

Courtney Blades and Kenya Peters; Becky Lemke and Lindsey Collins. W -- Blades. L -- Lemke. E -- Toni Mascarenas, Arizona; Lindsey Collins, Arizona. LOB -- Southern Miss. 6. 2B -- Erin Johnson, Southern Miss. SH -- Jennifer Ford, Southern Miss.

Game No. 5

Amanda Freed and Julie Marshall; Jamie Graves, Jennifer Spediacci (6) and Jenny Topping. W -- Freed. L -- Graves. WP -- Spediacci. PB -- Julie Marshall, UCLA. HBP -- Freed (Spediacci). LOB -- UCLA 9, Washington 9. 2B -- Rosie Leutzinger, Jamie Clark, Washington. HR -- Lyndsey Klein, UCLA. SB -- Casey Hiraiwa, UCLA, Klein, Tairia Mims, UCLA. SH -- Tairia Mims, UCLA.

Game No. 6

Jennifer Stewart and Ashli Barrett; Courtney Blades and Kenya Peters. W -- Stewart. L -- Blades. WP -- Blades. E -- Channika Gant, Southern Miss.; LOB -- Oklahoma 4, Southern Miss. 7; 2B -- Erin Johnson, Southern Miss. HR -- Andrea Davis, Oklahoma; Mandy Fulton, Oklahoma; Amy Berman, Southern Miss. SB -- Christy Ring, Oklahoma; Jaime White, Oklahoma; LaKisha Washington, Oklahoma. SH -- Leah Gulla, Oklahoma; Chrystal Stevens, Southern Miss.; Dalenah Tanner, Southern Miss.

Game No. 7

Ashley Ivey, Lindsay Chouniard (1) and Tatum Allen; Shelley Laird and Lacy Prejean. W -- Laird. L -- Chouniard. E -- Liz Bouck, DePaul; Toni Campbell, DePaul; Jennifer Reach, Alabama; Laird. DP -- Alabama 1. LOB -- DePaul 3, Alabama 3. 3B -- Shavaughne Desecki, DePaul; Kelly Kretschman, Alabama. CS -- Suzanne Olcott, Alabama. SH -- Jenny Davis, DePaul; Tatum Allen, DePaul; Melissa Bautista, Alabama. SF -- Reach.

Game No. 8

Becky Lemke and Lindsey Collins; Nicole DiSalvio, Jocelyn Forest (2) and Courtney Scott. W -- Lemke. L -- DiSalvio. HBP -- Lemke (Pauline Duenas and Amber Phillips). E -- Toni Mascarenas, Arizona, Lemke. DP -- Arizona 1. LOB -- Arizona 7, California 10. HR -- Mascarenas; Chrissy Gil, UCLA; Allison Andrade. SB -- Lauren Bauer, Arizona; Nicole Giordano, Arizona; Lisha Ribellia, Arizona. SH -- Katy Swan, Arizona; Erika Hanson, Arizona; Paige Bowie, California; Courtney Scott, California.

Game No. 9

Erin Johnson, Courtney Blades (1) and Kenya Peters; Melissa Bautista, Shelley Laird (1) and Kelley Askew. W -- Blades. L -- Bautista. DP -- Alabama 1. LOB -- Southern Miss 5; Alabama 3. SB -- Jennifer Collins, Southern Miss; Jennifer Ford, Southern Miss; Kelly Kretschman, Alabama. CS -- Suzanne Olcott, Alabama.

Game No. 10

Jennifer Spediacci and Jenny Topping; Jennie Finch and Lindsey Collins. W -- Finch. L -- Spediacci. LOB -- Washington 9, Arizona 7. HR -- Erin Helgeland, Washington. SB -- Chrissy Gil, Arizona.

Game No. 11

Amanda Freed, Courtney Dale (5) and Julie Marshall; Courtney Blades, Felicia Gonzales (2) and Kenya Peters. W -- Freed. L -- Blades. LOB -- UCLA 6; Southern Miss 3. 2B -- Dale; Tairia Mims, UCLA. HR -- Freed; Julie Adams, UCLA; Mims, UCLA. SB -- Freed; Erin Rahn, UCLA; Lupe Brambila, UCLA.

Game No. 12

Becky Lemke and Lindsey Collins; Jennifer Stewart and Ashli Barrett. W -- Stewart. L -- Lemke. LOB -- Arizona 5; Oklahoma 5. 2B -- Andrea Davis, Oklahoma. HR -- Lisa Carey, Oklahoma. SB -- Nicole Giordano, Arizona; Christy Ring, Oklahoma. CS -- Giordano.

Championship

W -- Stewart. L -- Freed. HBP -- Stewart (Mims); Freed (Washington). E -- Braitsch; Freed. DP -- Oklahoma 1. LOB -- Oklahoma 9; UCLA 6. 2B -- Braitsch; Marshall. HR -- Carey. SB -- Braitsch; Washington. SH -- Barrett; Fulton. SF -- Marshall.