Oklahoma softball: Sooners storm their way into NCAA Super Regionals
By Chip Rouse
Oklahoma softball is advancing to the NCAA Super Regionals, defeating Wichita State 24-7 on Sunday.
Facing their largest deficit of the year after just half an inning against Wichita State, the Sooners put on an enormous offensive display, showing why they are deserving of the No. 1 overall seed in this year’s NCAA Softball Championship.
What started out as heaven on earth for Wichita State on Sunday just as quickly turned into a total nightmare as No. 1-ranked Sooners destroyed the Shockers, scoring an NCAA Regional-record 24 runs on 20 hits, capped off by a 10-run seventh inning that included four Oklahoma home runs.
The Sooners set an NCAA Regional record with 50 runs in their three wins on the way to their 19th regional championship in 26 total appearances.
The Shockers, all fired up by the possibility of advancing to their first NCAA Super Regional in program history, opened up the scoring by jumping on the Sooners for four first-inning runs to take an early 4-0 lead.
In a bit of a head-turning move, OU head coach Patty Gasso went with sophomore Olivia Rains to start the game, even though she had pitched just 17.1 innings the entire season, and only in relief.
Rains made it through just five Wichita State hitters, allowing three runs on two hits, a hit batter and a walk, before giving way to fellow sophomore Alanna Thiede. She allowed three more hits and a run in a third of an inning before Gasso brought in No. 3 starter, freshman Nicole May to record the final out in the inning.
We knew they (Wichita State) had already seen starters Shannon Saile and Giselle Juarez in OU’s 7-5 win in the winner’s bracket game on Saturday, Gasso said, and thought going with Rains, who they hadn’t seen before, might give the Sooners an early advantage, but we also knew it could be a quick pull if things didn’t work out.
The game changed dramatically in the second inning, as Oklahoma matched the Shockers four runs and raised them another four to take an 8-4 lead after an inning and a half. The Sooners plated eight runs on six hits, three walks and two hit batters, without a single extra-base hit.
Wichita State (41-13-1) was never able to make up the difference. May went the final 6.1 innings, allowing just three runs on six hits and striking out four in shutting the door on any Shocker comeback and recording her 13th win of the season with just one loss.
The Sooners scored three more times in the third, three in the fourth and the 10-spot finale in the seventh to complete the scoring.
The two teams combined for 43 runs and 13 home runs in the two games.
Oklahoma (48-2) now awaits the winner of the regional championship between No. 16 Washington and No. 20 Michigan to see who they will face next weekend in the Norman Super Regional, the third consecutive year the Sooners have hosted a Super Regional. This will be OU’s 11th consecutive appearance in the Super Regionals.
There was plenty to like for Sooner fans in this game. Here are five big takeaways:
- Ten Sooners collected at least one hit in the game and eight had two or more hits. Janna Johns was the only member of the OU starting lineup not to get a hit, although in two separate at bats she hit two balls out of the park but foul.
- Oklahoma’s 24 runs on Sunday set an NCAA Regional single-game record, and the Sooners’ six home runs in Sunday’s win tied an NCAA postseason record for a single game.
- Sophomore Rylie Boone’s pinch-hit grand-slam home run in the seventh inning was her first career round-tripper.
- OU leadoff hitter, Tiare Jennings collected six RBI on Sunday to lead the Oklahoma attack. Junior shortstop Grace Lyons went three-for-six with five runs batted in.
- In their three wins in the Norman Regional, the Sooners outscored their opponents 50-12 and outhit them 46-17.