Stormin in Norman
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Oklahoma softball: Sooners escape Wisconsin, advance to Super Regionals

By Chip Rouse

TAMPA, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 26: A general view of the helmets and bats of the against the Philadelphia Phillies prior to the Grapefruit League spring training game against the New York Yankees at Steinbrenner Field on February 26, 2019 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 26: A general view of the helmets and bats of the against the Philadelphia Phillies prior to the Grapefruit League spring training game against the New York Yankees at Steinbrenner Field on February 26, 2019 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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It was a much longer day than the Oklahoma softball team thought it might be when the day dawned on Sunday.

Beat Wisconsin in one of two potential games on Sunday and the Sooners would be moving on to the Super Regional round in the NCAA Softball Championship. Easier said than done.

Wisconsin, which had come from behind with a two-out, three-run walk-off home run to beat Notre Dame on Saturday night and earn the right to go up against No. 1 overall seed Oklahoma in the championship round of the Norman Regional.

The Sooners weren’t thinking beyond the early game with Wisconsin on Sunday. After all, OU had not lost in 41 consecutive games and hadn’t been beaten at home in 48 games. And the Sooners had no-hit the Badgers 4-0 on Saturday behind ace starter “G” Juarez on Saturday, so there wasn’t really any reason to think of Wisconsin as a major threat to OU winning a ninth consecutive Norman Regional championship.

The Badgers had other ideas, though. Wisconsin erased an early 1-0 Sooner lead with two unearned runs in the top of the sixth inning, and that stood up for a 2-1 win that ended OU’s NCAA single-season record 41-game winning streak. It also was the first Sooner loss at home in 49 consecutive games.

Wisconsin had been given new life, and No. 1 overall seed Oklahoma found itself facing elimination in its own regional and the possibility of being knocked out on the opening weekend of the NCAA postseason.

The Sooners broke a scoreless tie in game two, pushing across a run in the top of the third inning when senior Sydney Romero drove in senior teammate Raegan Rogers with a sacrifice fly. Oklahoma added a second run an inning later, with freshman first baseman Grace Green blasting a home run to left, her 15th of the season.

Juarez, who suffered her first loss of the season to go along with 24 wins in the first game, was brilliant one more time, taking the circle for the Sooners in the winner-take-all championship final.

The junior transfer from Arizona State shut out Wisconsin for the second time in as many days, going seven innings, allowing four hits, striking out eight and walking two. Juarez was credited with two complete-game shutouts for the weekend, giving her five for the season.

The Sooners will host Northwestern, another team out of the Big Ten, in one of the eight Super Regionals next weekend. The 17th-ranked Wildcats punched their ticket to the next round by defeating Louisville 4-3 on Sunday evening

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