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Oklahoma softball: Sooner pitching comes through in 1-0 squeaker

By Chip Rouse

BEIJING - AUGUST 21: A general view of action during the women's gold medal game between the United States and Japan at the Fengtai Softball Field during Day 13 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 21, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
BEIJING - AUGUST 21: A general view of action during the women's gold medal game between the United States and Japan at the Fengtai Softball Field during Day 13 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 21, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) /
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The Oklahoma softball win streak reached a nation-best 30 games on Tuesday, but it was far from easy.

The usually offensive-minded Sooners managed just one run and three hits against a tough-minded Tulsa team on Tuesday, but OU’s Mariah Lopez and Paige Lowary were equal to the task, limiting the Golden Hurricane to no runs on three hits and making the Sooners’ one run hold up for a 1-0 shutout victory.

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Entering the game, the No. 2-ranked Sooners had beaten Tulsa 42 of the 52 times the two schools  had met on the softball diamond. That dominance was not apparent on Tuesday, however.

Tulsa’s Emily Watson pitched an outstanding game, going the full seven innings and giving up just three base knocks to the country’s fourth-best offense, based on team batting average. It was just that Sooner pitching was even better on this night.

Lopez pitched the first 5 1/3 innings, allowing just two hits and striking out five with no walks, to earn her 13th win of the season without a loss. Lowary recorded the last five outs, striking out the side in the seventh inning to end the game.

The win was Oklahoma’s 39th of the season with just two losses, and was the Sooners’ 37th consecutive true road win. OU’s last loss in a true road game was over two years ago, in March 2016.

Freshman Jocelyn Alo, the Sooners’ designated player, provided the difference in the game, blasting her Big 12-leading 19th home run of the season in the top half of the third inning.

Oklahoma now heads to the state of Oregon, where they will face perhaps their toughest challenge of the season in a single game at fourth-ranked Oregon on Thursday, followed by single games at Oregon State on Friday and Saturday.

Here are the numerical highlights from the Sooners’ one-run victory over Tulsa:

3 – Oklahoma’s three hits in the game were delivered by Jocelyn Alo (a home run in the third inning), Nicole Pendley and Lea Wodach.

7 – Paigie Lowary was credited with the save, her seventh of the season.

8 – Combined strikeouts in the game by OU’s Mariah Lopez and Paige Lowary.

59 – Strikes thrown out of 75 total pitches by Mariah Lopez.

1,068 – Wins by Sooner head coach Patty Gasso in her 23 seasons at OU.

1,300 – Attendance at the game at Collins Family Softball Complex in Tulsa.

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