The top-ranked Oklahoma softball team made short work of UC Santa Barbara in its 2022 season opener.
The Sooners plated nine runs in the first inning and coasted home from there in a 14-0 five-inning, no-hitter over the host Gauchos. Three Oklahoma pitchers combined for the 18th perfect game in Sooner softball history.
Freshman Jordyn Bahl, the No. 1 recruit in the 2021 class nationally, made her collegiate debut in the circle for OU, going the first two and two-thirds innings, striking out four. Sophomore Nicole May and North Texas transfer Hope Trautwein finished out the game for the Sooners, holding the UC Santa Barabara hitters to no runs and no hits and no base runners in the run-rule victory.
Oklahoma continued the long-ball barrage it what well known for last season in leading the country in home runs. Jocelyn Alo and Kinzie Hansen went deep with round-trippers and Tiare Jennings hit a pair out of the park. Alo and Jennings combined for seven of the Sooners’ 14 runs.
Alo’s home run was the 89th of her career, just seven shy of setting a new NCAA home run record.
Nine of the 12 Sooners who came to the plate in the game collected at least one hit.
Oklahoma is 37-15 in season openers in its history.
The game with UC Santa Barbara served as a tune up for a weekend tournament in Irvine, California, where the Sooners will play games with Loyola Marymount and Mississippi on Friday, No. 3 UCLA on Saturday and close out the tournament with a game against UC San Diego on Sunday.