OKLAHOMA CITY— Lauren Lappin homered to start a three-run rally in the third inning, and the United States beat Australia 3-1 Monday night in the World Cup of Softball championship game.

Alissa Haber and Andrea Duran added RBI singles to push the lead to 3-0, and Monica Abbott and Cat Osterman combined to make it stand up for the Americans’ third straight World Cup title.
Stacey Porter, a University of Hawaii alum, homered for Australia, the bronze medalist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Australia beat 2008 Olympic gold medalist Japan on its way to its first championship game at the World Cup and gave the U.S. its closest game of the tournament.
The U.S. (6-0) outscored opponents 51-4, reasserting its dominance after losing the gold medal game at last year’s Olympics.