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Oklahoma softball: Sooners advance to Big 12 Softball Tournament championship

By Chip Rouse

Oklahoma's Tiare Jennings (23) runs home to score a run in the fourth inning of a Bedlam softball game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Oklahoma State University Cowgirls (OSU) at Marita Hynes Field in Norman, Okla., Saturday, May 7, 2022. Oklahoma won 5-3.Bedlam Softball
Oklahoma's Tiare Jennings (23) runs home to score a run in the fourth inning of a Bedlam softball game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Oklahoma State University Cowgirls (OSU) at Marita Hynes Field in Norman, Okla., Saturday, May 7, 2022. Oklahoma won 5-3.Bedlam Softball /
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Lynssie Elam’s first-inning grand slam was all the top-ranked Oklahoma softball team needed in posting a 5-0 shutout win over Iowa State in the semifinal round of the Big 12 Softball Championship.

Elam’s first-inning power ball and another brilliant pitching performance by OU starter Hope Trautwein was more than enough for the reigning national champion Sooners to make short work of Iowa State, the No. 4 seed in the championship being played at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.

Oklahoma scored all of its runs in the first two innings. Jocelyn Alo and Tiare Jennings recorded back-to-back singles and Alyssa Brito drew a walk to load the bases for Elam’s slam to left field in the first.  In the second inning, Kinzie Hansen led off with a single and advanced to second base on a fielding error, and Rylie Boone knocker her in with a single to center, one of her two hits in the game.

That was all the scoring in the game for both teams.

Trautwein, who came into the game leading all of NCAA Division I softball with a sensational 0.17 ERA, won her 16th game of the season without a loss and pitched her eighth complete game of the season. She allowed just two Iowa State hits, a pair of singles to shortstop Alesia Ranches, while posting a season-high 14 strikeouts.

Only three Iowa State batters reached base off of Trautwein (two singles and a base on balls) and none of the three advanced beyond first base.

Junior Ellie Spelhaug started the game in the circle for the Lady Cyclones but last just two-thirds of an inning after giving up the grand slam to Elam. She turned thepitching duties over the Karlie Charles, who was charged with the Sooners’ fifth run. Sophomore Saya Swain closed out the fourth, fifth and sixth innings for Iowa State allowing just one OU hit and no runs.

Alo and Boone collected a pair of hits each, combining for four of the Sooners nine hits in the game.

The shutout was Oklahoma’s 29th in 50 games and the Sooners’ 49th win of the season. The Sooners advance to the Big 12 Tournament championship game on Saturday against the winner of the other semifinal game between Oklahoma State and Texas.

Oklahoma is seeking its eighth Big 12 Softball Championship title and fourth consecutive. The Sooners have won 14 regular-season championships, including the last 10.

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