Nearly 4,000 people jammed into Rhoads Stadium expecting something special.

They got it.

And a little more.

Marisa Runyon's grand slam with two outs in the sixth blew the top off the ballpark and effectively sent Alabama to Oklahoma City. The slumping slugger's shot to right lifted the Crimson Tide past Oklahoma 5-3 to complete the super regional comeback in grand style. She was 0-for her last 13 before the grand slam.

Players and coaches sprinted through the seating bowl hugging and high fiving anyone in their way in a wild post-game scene.

"Did that really just happen?" Alabama coach Patrick Murphy said as he entered the postgame news conference.

Alabama (47-13) advances to the Women's College World Series to face Michigan. It will be the second straight WCWS trip for the 2012 champions who lost to Florida in the final series last year. It will be the program's 10th trip to the WCWS since its founding in 1997. Play begins Thursday in Oklahoma City, but the schedule has yet to be determined.

Has she ever pitched this much before?

"Never," she said with a grin.

Alabama took the first lead in the fourth when Bell's single scored Haylie McCleney from second.

McCleney also made a few All-American plays in the first inning.

The centerfielder robbed a home run off the bat of Shelby Pendley leaping over the wall on the second at-bat. Then she ended the inning with a diving catch on a bloop to shallow center from Georgia Casey. Full-extended, McCleney gloved the final out with the bases loaded.

Gasso said McCleney won the game for Alabama with her clutch defense.

The Tide needed a 2-0 win in Game 2 just to force the decisive third game Saturday night.

Now Alabama turns to a Michigan team it saw twice already this season. The Wolverines beat the Tide 8-2 on Feb. 20 and again 4-1 the next day in the early-season Bama Bash.

This story will be updated.