The Oklahoma Sooners are going to get every team’s best, every time out. On Thursday in their Women’s College World Series opener, the Sooners were challenged by one of the best pitchers in softball and passed the test.
NiJaree Canady came into the game leading the nation in ERA, and it took the Sooners until the fifth inning to finally break through with their first and only runs of the game.
But it was the timely, late-inning heroics that have become commonplace for the Sooners that won the day. Jayda Coleman came through with a two-out RBI single that squirted through the left fielder to score another run to give the Sooners all the offense they needed on a day when Jordy Bahl was dealing.
Bahl earned the complete-game shutout, pitching around several situations with multiple runners on with her determination and strikeout prowess. She allowed five hits, one walk, and no runs. She struck out 11 Cardinal to pick up the win and move to 19-1 on the season.
With a record-setting crowd in attendance, the Sooners extended their all-tim win streak record to 49 games and will now play the Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday at 2 pm CT on ABC.
It was a great game between two fantastic pitchers, but the outcome had Sooner Nation buzzing.