Sooners Dominant: Mary Nutter Edition

Game 1: CSF

The Sooners bounced back in run rule fashion in their first game after taking their first loss of the season to Baylor on Sunday. They defeated Cal State Fullerton 8-0 in 5 innings. Alex Storako pitched 4 innings giving up 2 hits and one walk. She showed some grit and got out of a bases loaded jam with no one out without allowing a run. Sophia Nugent blew the game open with a 3 run HR that was mashed to left field after a battle of an AB. Rylie Boone added a smash for her first HR of the season. Jordy Bahl came in to finish the game in the 5th, striking out 3 and walking 1. 

Game 2: A&M

Another game on Friday and another run rule result. This time the Texas A&M Aggies were the victim 8-0 in 5 innings. The Aggies seemed to have things working against Nicole May early starting off with three straight singles to load the bases. May stiffened and stranded all three runners with a couple of strikeouts and a pop up. The Sooners got to work scoring 4 in the first with the help of the Aggie defense. A throwing error by the SS helped Lee extend the inning and the Sooners took full advantage plating 3 more in the inning. May settled in and allowed 5 hits through 4 innings of work. The other two hits were back to back singles with no one out in the 3rd which she worked around and stranded them again. Jocelyn Erickson pinch hit for a struggling Cydney Sanders and hit her team leading 5th HR of the season. The three run blast put the Sooners within run rule territory. Jordy Bahl came in to clean up the 5th inning giving up a hit but inducing a double play with a nifty play from Grace Lyons and a weak pop up to end the game. 

Game 3: Utah

The game against the Utes got off to an interesting start. The second hitter of the game looped one to left off of Jordy Bahl and Rylie Boone making great effort to reach it but it got bye her and all the way to the wall. By the time Boone retrieved it and threw in Belarde had run all the way for an inside the park home run. The Sooners responded with 3 of their own in the bottom of the first. Jayda Coleman continues to have great AB and walked to lead off, Grace Lyons doubled her home. Tiare Jennings smoked a 2 run HR for her 2nd of the season. In the 2nd inning the Sooners exploded again. Started with Nugent being HBP. Torres doubled which scored Sophia from first. Coleman added a single to left chasing Sandez from the game. Jennings walked to load the bases for Haley Lee. Lee grounded to 2nd but the 2nd baseman booted it which scored Torres. Jocelyn Erickson continued her hot streak hitting a 2 RBI double which was followed by a 2 RBI single by Alyssa Brito. The Sooners would go on to add another run in the 4th while allowing 1 each in the 3rd and 4th (both earned). Nicole May came in relief of Bahl in the 6th inning and did not allow a base runner. Final score 10-3 Sooners. 

Game 4: LMU

Kiersten Deal got her 2nd start of the season against Loyola Marymount. Deal had it working early against LMU, she struck out 2 in the first inning while allowing a double off the wall. She only recorded one more strikeout in the game but kept the LMU offense off the scoreboard until the 5th inning. A couple of hits, the run, and then a walk chased Deal. Storako came in to complete the run rule stranding the runners she inherited while striking out 2. Sooners came out swinging in the first, again scoring 3. Grace Lyons got it started with a single to left field. Jennings hit a chopper over the first baseman sending Lyons to 3rd. Lee sent a double down the line in right to score Lyons. Erickson hit an RBI ground out to 2nd which scored Jennings. Hanson hit a carbon copy of Jennings single to score Lee and cap the scoring in the first. Cydney Sanders broke out of her slump with a single to lead off the 2nd going 1-3 on the day. Boone followed with an RBI double scoring Sanders from first. The loudest score of the game came from Jayda Coleman hitting her first HR of the season. She was even fooled a little bit getting out on her front foot but kept her hands back still driving it out to left field. 

Haley Lee has found a hot spot down the right field line and legged out the triple. Jocelyn Erickson knocked in her 21st RBI on the season with a single to left. The Sooners wrapped up their scoring for the day with a bases loaded triple coming from Quincee Lilio. If you’re unfamiliar with Lilio I suggest familiarizing yourself with her. She may be small in stature but she is versatile in the field as well as handles the bat very well. She will be one of the PH that Patty Gasso will use in big moments later in the season if not finding herself in the lineup at some point. The Sooners made some defensive changes throughout the game as well. We all know Gasso requires her players to be familiar with at least 2 positions so this was no surprise. We saw Hodge come in and play SS, Bahl come in to play LF, Brito moved to CF. Brito ended up making a fine play to her left tracking down a running catch. That versatility could play a huge factor down the line. 

Game 5: UCLA

Megan Farimo is the most formidable pitcher the Sooners have faced up to this point of the season. She started the game with back to back strikeouts of Coleman and Lyons. Jennings was able to break through for the Sooners and poked a single into right where the diving play was nearly made. Jocelyn Erickson took advantage of the deep outfield and dropped in a single to left after working a full count. Haley Lee smoked a ball to center but was hit too hard for Jennings to score. Torres smacked a line drive but right to the left fielder and Farimo escaped unscathed. Alex Storako started in the circle for the Sooners. She calmly nabbed a comebacker from the first batter. After Brady lined out to center, Storako allowed a single but strikes out the 3rd out and jumped with exuberance! The Sooners struck first on a solo HR with 2 outs from Alyssa Brito! Her second of the season and Brito continues to come up in huge moments. https://twitter.com/OU_Softball/status/1629905639467278337?s=20

The Sooners patience against Farimo payed off as the long at bats turn into hits. Jayda Coleman went back to back jacks with Brito to stake the Sooners out to a 2-0 lead early. https://twitter.com/OU_Softball/status/1629905833843884032?s=20 After a single by Lyons, Tiare Jennings sent one to her own apparel table beyond the outfield wall. The Sooners 3rd HR of the inning was the final straw and UCLA made a pitching change. https://twitter.com/OU_Softball/status/1629906630677786625?s=20 Lauren Shaw the new pitcher for the Bruins faced Erickson and allowed a single to the Sooners slugger. Haley Lee decided to join the HR parade and smashes one to left! The 2 run shot was a no doubter! https://twitter.com/OU_Softball/status/1629908046179864577?s=20 Shaw finally got Hanson to ground into a FC to end the 2nd but the damage was done. Sooners hit 4 HR in the inning for 6 runs.

Storako worked around a 1 out single and threw a scoreless 2nd inning. In the top of the third, Jayda Coleman slaps a double down the left field line sending Brito who reached on a FC to third. The double by Coleman spurred a pitching change by the Bruins. Taylor Tinsley was the 3rd pitcher and the 2nd freshman used by UCLA. Tinsley immediately got Lyons to softly line out to 1st but then Jennings doubles off the wall scoring 2 more! Erickson ends the inning with a strikeout but Jennings put OU in run rule territory in the 3rd inning. Coleman decided to remind everyone why she is the best CF in the country with a diving catch that was made for Sportscenter while Storako worked a clean 3rd. Kenzie Hanson joined the HR party with a 2 run shot in the top of the 4th. https://twitter.com/OU_Softball/status/1629920168343379968?s=20 Storako ended the bottom of the 4th with a punctuation mark, her 5th strikeout. Grace Green knocks in the Sooners 11th run of the game with a single before Kinzie Hanson crushes a 3 run HR to left. She knew it and raised her hand immediately after dropping the bat. https://twitter.com/OU_Softball/status/1629925794637303813?s=20 Alex Storako being staked to 14 runs finished off the run rule which was Oklahoma’s first win against the number one team in the country since 2013 (mostly due to being the #1 team). 

If there was any questions about this Sooner team, they answered them all emphatically. Oklahoma has their first home games of the season next weekend starting Friday against UIC at 3:00 pm on ESPN +