Oklahoma softball: Sooners sweep all 5 games in Mary Nutter Classic

The top-ranked Oklahoma softball team extended its perfect record to 15-0 this weekend, after defeating several quality foes at the Mary Nutter Classic in Cathedral City (Palm Springs), California.

The five-game tournament featured games against Cal State Fullerton, Long Beach State, No. 10 Arizona, No. 17 Tennessee, and Utah.

Oklahoma got the weekend started with a pair of wins on Friday. OU freshman pitcher Jordy Bahl impressed with a six-inning, 11-0 perfect game against Cal State Fullerton, which included striking out 11. Sophomore second baseman Tiare Jennings blasted two home runs in the contest.

Against Long Beach State, also on Friday, the Sooners allowed their first earned run of the season, however aside from a three-run inning that led to coach Patty Gasso sitting starting pitcher Hope Trautwein in favor of Nicole May, LBSU did not offer much more offense and the Sooners ended up finishing off an 11-3 run-rule victory in just five innings.

Saturday, things started out quietly for Oklahoma as the Sooners routed 10th-ranked Arizona 10-2 in another run-rule win. Jennings drive in three of the Sooner 10 runs with another pair of fence-clearing blasts, including a two-run round-tripper that ended the game after five innings, and Jana Johns also had three runs batted in with a long ball of her own. May fanned 10, in a five-inning complete game.

After three innings Saturday night against 17th-ranked Tennessee the Sooners found themselves up 4-0. It appeared OU was on in its way to its 14th win of the season, only the Volunteer women failed to sit down and quit fighting.

Tennessee rallied for four runs in the top of the 5th inning to tie the game. Oklahoma regained the lead 5-4 on a home run by junior catcher Kinzie Hansen in the bottom half of the inning.

In the top of the 7th, Tennessee drew even again i on a sacrifice fly, before starter Bahl walked Tennessee’s Ashley Morgan with the bases loaded giving the Volunteers a 6-5 lead heading to the bottom half of the 7th. OU’s Taylon Snow knocked in pinch-runner Hannah Coor with the tying run in the bottom half of the inning, sending the game to extra innings.

Neither team scored in the 8th. Both teams managed to get their free runner across in the 9th, and in the 10th inning Tennessee took the lead once again, on an uncharacteristic Oklahoma error. With two outs and the score sitting at 8-7 in favor of the Volunteers, OU sophomore Jayda Coleman launched a two-run, walk-off home run to left field giving the Sooners the victory.

Jordy Bahl, who was pulled earlier in the game, returned, finishing with 16 Ks in 7 and one-third innings pitched, Johns continued her hot streak for the Sooners, hitting two home runs in the game, and three total on the day.

On Sunday, in what most expected to be an easy game for the Sooners, unranked Utah challenged Oklahoma in a way no team has to this point in the season. Utah held the potent OU lineup to just two runs and actually led in the game 1-0 until Taylon Snow, stole home to tie things up in the bottom of the 4th inning, followed by a Rylie Boone RBI single, which gave OU the final 2-1 advantage.

On replay it appeared that perhaps, Grace Lyons had been tagged out attempting to steal second, on the same play that Taylon Snow stole home. The question was whether the Utah second baseman had held onto the ball long enough to complete the tag. With no replay in college softball, the call of safe held firm.

The two 4th-inning runs proved to be enormous. In later innings Utah ended consecutive Sooner threats with a rare triple play, followed by a double play.  Hope Trautwein struck out 7 in four innings, and Bahl came in in relief and went four innings herself.  Oklahoma pitching was the ever so slight difference in a gem of a defensive game by both programs.

The biggest story of the weekend was Jocelyn Alo still sitting at 95 career home runs, in a dead-lock with Sooner great Lauren Chamberlain for the most in NCAA history. Alo was walked 10 times in 20 at bats over the weekend, including this intentional one in extra innings against Tennessee on Saturday.

OU will take a week off, and get back to action on Monday March 7th, when the Sooners will face Minnesota at home. That will be the Sooners first home game of the season, Afterwards Oklahoma will participate in the Rainbow Wahine Classic, in Honolulu, Hawaii, from March 10-13. There OU will take on Big 12 foe Baylor, Cal, and Hawaii twice.