Oklahoma softball: Five games in three days? No problem

By Chip Rouse | Mar 12, 2018

GUADALAJARA, MEXICO - OCTOBER 17: Ashley Holcombe of the United States of America hits the ball during the Softball Preliminary Round match between the United States of America and Venezuela during Day Three of the XVI Pan American Games at CODE Alcalde on October 17, 2011 in Guadalajara, Mexico. (Photo by Dennis Grombkowski/Getty Images) /

While most of us were binging on college basketball over the weekend, the Oklahoma softball squad was busy rolling up five more wins.

That makes 19 already for the season, along with just two losses, for the two-time defending national champion Sooners.

In a four-game weekend tournament the weekend before, OU gave up just one run the entire weekend, while scoring 31 of its own. This past weekend, the Sooner offense was cranked up again, producing 35 runs in five wins over Indiana, and twice each over South Carolina and Illinois State. Two of the five wins in the OG&E Tournament over the weekend were by run-rule shutout, both over Illinois State.

The two wins over South Carolina were big. The Sooners defeated the Gamecocks, ranked 17th last week in the ESPN.com/USA Softball rankings, 4-2 and 5-1. Paige Parker picked up her 10th win of the season with just one loss on Saturday with help from Paige Lowary, and Mariah Lopez earned her fifth win of the season without a loss, tossing a one-hitter in a 5-1 OU win on Sunday.

Senior center fielder Nicole Pendley hit a first-inning grand slam home run to account for all four of the OU runs in the 4-2 win over South Carolina on Saturday.

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In the two wins over Illinois State, which bookended the five games for Oklahoma, starting pitchers Paige Parker and Parker Conrad gave up just one hit apiece. For Conrad, it was her first collegiate victory.

Earlier in the week Parker won her 100th collegiate game, yielding one hit and striking out a dozen hitters, in a 6-0 Sooner win over Saint Francis (Pennsylvania).

OU’s five wins over the weekend completes a 10-game homestand for the Sooners, who were a perfect 10-0 and extended their consecutive game win streak at home at Marita Hynes Field to14-0, dating back to last season.

The Sooners outscored their opponents by the combined score of 74-7 during the 10-game homestand.

Oklahoma is back on the road this weekend at the Easton Tournament, where it will play six games in four days in Fullerton, California. That will be the Sooners’ last major nonconference competition before they begin their Big 12 schedule on March 23 with a weekend home series against Texas Tech.

The Sooners were ranked 6th last week in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll, but should move up after their six wins last week.

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