Arizona shortstop Kristie Fox, left, hugs Caitlin Lowe after Fox hit a game-winning single to drive in Lowe.

James S. Wood / Arizona Daily Star

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OKLAHOMA CITY — Be it positive reinforcement or wishful thinking, coach Mike Candrea foretold the future in the UA's 3-2 Women's College World Series win Thursday.

As Autumn Champion walked to the plate to bunt Caitlin Lowe to second, Candrea told Kristie Fox, the next batter, that she was going to win the game in the bottom of the ninth.

"I was like, 'I know, Coach,' and I got on deck," Fox said.

The shortstop, who hit two home runs in the UA's super regional clincher Saturday, ripped a single up the middle to drive in Lowe. It ended a marathon game that went 4hours 18minutes because of a 95-minute weather delay at ASA Don E. Porter Hall of Fame Stadium.

After stranding runners in scoring position in the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth innings, the UA had Lowe on second in the bottom of the ninth inning with the game tied.

Lowe had reached first after banging a bounding single past her sister, Paige, OSU's second baseman.

"It feels really good to be on the winning side of that game, because that was a tough one," Candrea said. "We finally got the key hit."

The Wildcats will play Texas at 4 p.m. today. The Longhorns beat Arizona State 2-0 in pitcher Cat Osterman's greatest postseason performance. Osterman, a three-time USA Softball College Player of the Year, struck out 18 batters in the one-hit shutout, the most in a seven-inning WCWS game.

In the first game of the day, the UA scored its first two runs when Champion and Fox each drove in a run during a two-out rally in the third.

Starting pitcher Alicia Hollowell cruised through the first four innings before giving up a homer to opposing pitcher Brianne McGowan with two outs in the fifth. Hollowell is likely to start today against Texas.

Thursday's game was delayed during bottom of the fifth inning after lightning was detected in the area.

"I feel we had some momentum going, and you hate to give that up in this game," Candrea said.

After retiring the first batter of the sixth inning, Hollowell gave up a single to OSU's Adrienne Alo, who was then bunted to second base.

Vanessa Iapala then coaxed a 10-pitch walk after hitting the ninth pitch about 250 feet foul. The next batter, Stefanie Ewing, then chopped a ball four feet in front of the plate. Hollowell fielded the ball and went to first, but the throw was high and toward the sideline. Laine Roth's glove barely nicked the ball, which rolled down the line. Alo scored from second.

Even though there are three other Pac-10 teams in the WCWS, Arizona has shared more quirky, playoff-like moments with Texas than any other school over the past two years.

"It's as big as any other rivalry we've ever had," Lowe said.

In five games over the past two years, the UA has lost to Texas four times by a score of 1-0 and won one game 1-0.

Texas knocked the UA out of the WCWS last year when Osterman allowed only four hits in 11 innings.

Then there is the incident from the Kajikawa Classic on Feb. 12. With the UA leading 1-0 in the seventh, junior college transfer Chelsie Mesa of the Wildcats hit her first Div. I home run.

Texas coach Connie Clark protested on the grounds that Candrea had not filled out his lineup card with first and last names — a technicality — and had the run wiped off the board.

"I've never seen, in a preseason game, someone pull something like that," Hollowell said. "But hey, they did what they had to do. We still came out on top."

Clark, who played for Candrea from 1984 to 1985 at Central Arizona College, said it was "hard to do that to a mentor. But I really felt like we were gaining momentum on our side."

Desiree Williams, a Flowing Wells High School graduate who homered for Texas on Thursday, said she is always excited to play the hometown team.

"It always kinda puts me on my little pedestal when we beat them," she said. "It's my little soap box, but I get on it."

Osterman, who will pitch today and threw for Candrea in the 2004 Summer Olympics, said she knows the UA coach has a good scouting report.

"He knows me well," she said. "But he doesn't swing the bat."

On StarNet: Find a photo gallery of the UA's trip to the series at www.azstarnet.com/wildcats