Oklahoma softball: Sooners suffer rare early season loss to Big 12 foe
By Chip Rouse
The better team doesn’t always win. The top-ranked Oklahoma softball team found themselves the victim of that fate on Sunday, losing a 4-3 decision to Baylor in the finale of the Getterman Classic in Waco, Texas.
The top-ranked Sooners (8-1) rolled through the first three games of the tournament without giving up a run and allowing just three total hits, recording consecutive run-rule wins over Longwood (Virginia), Stephen F. Austin and Army.
Oklahoma met its match — at least this one time — on Sunday going up against tournament host Baylor. The Lady Bears jumped on Sooner starter Jordy Bahl, who recorded a two-hit, shutout win over Longwood in OU’s first game of the weekend, with a three-run home run by Shaylon Govan in the third inning. That gave the Bears a 4-1 lead and, as it turned out, all the runs they would need to hand the Sooners their first lost of the season.
The Sooners rallied for a pair of runs in the top of the sixth and had the tying run on third base with two outs, but a ground out ended the threat and the Sooners were retired in order in the seventh.
The loss was just the eighth in the last three seasons by the two-time defending national champions. In the past three seasons the Sooners have posted an overall record of 123-8, the best in NCAA Division I softball. In two weekends of action to open the 2023 season, Oklahoma has outscored its opponents 73-9. Five of the Sooners’ eight wins have been decided by run rule.
Head coach Patty Gasso believes the early season loss is more of a positive than a negative moving forward.
"“What just happened is extremely valuable,” Gasso told reporters after the Baylor game. “What’s valuable is the response, the rebound and the extra work that is going to be put in to make us better.“Our offense was confused with things,” she said, “and we definitely have to find a way to handle pitcher who mix pitches better.”"
Freshman utility player Jocelyn Erickson had a weekend to remember, slugging home runs in each of the first three games, collecting seven hits. 11 RBI and scoring six runs for OU in the four weekend games. She leads the Sooners and is second in the Big 12 with a .556 batting average through nine games. Erickson is also tied for the Big 12 lead in home runs with four.
Alyssa Brito also had a productive weekend for the Sooners with six hits, including and five runs batted in. Catcher Sophia Nugent and second baseman Tiare Jennings also hit round-trippers over the weekend.
Michigan transfer Alex Storako (2-0) got the win over SFA, going four innings and allowing just one hit along with eight strikeouts in a 22-0 OU victory. Nicole May pitched a perfect four innings and struck out 10 against Army to pick up her second win of the season. May and Bahl combined on five-inning no-hitter in a 9-0 shutout over Army.
Oklahoma will next head to the annual Mary Nutter Classic in Palm Springs, California, to play four games in three days, including a marquee matchup with No. 2 UCLA on Sunday. Cal State Fullerton, Texas A&M and Utah are also participating in the tournament.