Alex Storako – Page 2 – Syndication Server

Twitter reacts to Oklahoma’s win over Florida State and 3rd straight national championship

Twitter reacts to Oklahoma’s win over Florida State to complete the national championship three-peat.

The Oklahoma Sooners are the back-to-back-to-back national champions. Oklahoma clinched its third straight national title, sixth in the last decade and seventh overall with a 3-1 win over Florida State on Thursday night.

It was another in a long line of incredibly clutch performances for what is being deemed the greatest softball team in the history of the sport. With their 61-1 record, the Sooners are the winningest team in the sport’s history. They finished the season on a 53-game winning streak and became the first program to score 500 runs in three straight seasons.

Their ace, Jordy Bahl, went 4-0 in the Women’s College World Series, and didn’t allow a run in the effort. She threw two shutouts, including in Game 1, and had two relief appearances of at least three innings that led to Sooners wins. For her effort, she was named the Most Outstanding Player.

The national title win was the culmination of a season filled with pressure-packed moments and incredible comebacks during their dominant run.

These Oklahoma Sooners somehow found a way to raise the bar yet again for the college softball world. They found a way to still amaze a fan base that has been in awe for years at what Patty Gasso’s program is capable of.

And in the win that clinched their third straight national title, the Sooners received a strong performance from Alex Storako, an incredible defensive play from Jayda Coleman, back-to-back home runs from Cydney Sanders and Grace Lyons and another dominant performance from ace Jordy Bahl.

From the first pitch to the final out, Twitter was buzzing, but it reached a fever pitch when Oklahoma clinched their third straight national title.

No. 1 Oklahoma vs No. 3 Florida State: WCWS championship key players, game preview, prediction

Women’s College World Series Championship preview between No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 3 Florida State: How to watch, key players and prediction.

After surviving the Women’s College World Series field unscathed, the Oklahoma Sooners and the Florida State Seminoles meet in the championship series starting Wednesday night.

This year’s championship is a rematch of the 2021 series that the Oklahoma Sooners won after dropping Game 1 of the three-game series. In 2021, Florida State was the No. 10 seed in the tournament and had to overcome an opening day loss in the WCWS, beating third-seeded Alabama twice to get to the finals.

This year, both the Sooners and Seminoles were the highest remaining seeds in the WCWS after UCLA was bounced in the Los Angeles Regional. Neither team suffered a loss in Oklahoma City, setting up a showdown of national powerhouses.

Led by Patty Gasso and Lonni Alameda, the two schools have rich histories. The Sooners have five more championships than Florida State, but the Seminoles have reached the championship series three times in the last six years and won it in 2018.

Here’s a look at the matchup between the No.1 Oklahoma Sooners and No. 3 Florida State Seminoles for the NCAA championship.

Oklahoma Sooners advance to super regionals with 16-3 win over Cal

The Oklahoma Sooners advance to the super regional round of the NCAA tournament after a 16-3 win over California.

Oklahoma’s offense got going right out of the gate and didn’t look back as they dominated the California Golden Bears 16-3 in five innings. The Sooners hit six home runs in the game, extending their winning streak to 46 games.

[autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] got the scoring going in the first inning when she launched a homer to make it 1-0. [autotag]Haley Lee[/autotag] doubled, and [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag] hit a home run to put Oklahoma up 3-0. [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag] singled, and [autotag]Cydney Sanders[/autotag] smashed a home run to extend the lead to 5-0. Jocelyn Erickson went back-to-back with Sanders with a solo shot to put the Sooners up 6-0 in the top of the first.

Jennings hit her second home run of the day in the top of the second to give the Sooners a 7-0 lead.

They kept the scoring going in the third inning. Rylie Boone brought in Hansen on an RBI single to make it 8-0 and put Oklahoma in run-rule territory. Coleman doubled to score Grace Lyons on an RBI, which made it 9-0. Jennings drove a double of her own to score Boone and Coleman and put the Sooners well out in front 11-0. Not to be outdone by Tiare Jennings, Alyssa Brito hammered her second home run of the day, a three-run shot to give Oklahoma a 14-0 lead after three.

Cal scored three runs on three hits in the third after loading the bases. Alex Storako wasn’t her sharp self, and Nicole May came in to limit the damage.

In the fourth inning, Grace Lyons hit a sacrifice fly that brought home Alynah Torres to make the score 15-3. Quincee Lilio then singled to right center and to score Jocelyn Erickson to extend the lead 16-3.

May was able to get the shutdown inning in the fourth inning before giving way to Kierston Deal who pitched a scoreless fifth.

Storako allowed five hits and three runs in 2.2 innings pitched. May and Deal combined to throw three innings of perfect ball, keeping the Golden Bears off the base paths once May entered the game.

Tiare Jennings went 4-for-4 with two home runs, four RBIs, and three runs scored. Brito was 2-for-3 with a pair of home runs and five RBIs. Haley Lee, Kinzie Hansen, and Jocelyn Erickson each had multi-hit games for the Sooners.

Oklahoma will now welcome Clemson for their three-game series in the super regional after the Tigers beat Auburn in a winner-take-all game Sunday afternoon. The Sooners’ 13 straight super regional appearances is the longest own the longest streak in the nation

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Jordy Bahl continues dominant run in regional performance against Missouri

Jordy Bahl has been on an incredible run over the last two months and that continued with her one-hit performance against Missouri.

Jordy Bahl’s been on a roll for two months. After giving up a pair of runs in two innings against Mississippi State on March 13, Bahl’s given up just four runs in her last 71.3 innings pitched.

That’s good for a 0.50 ERA over the last two months. She’s given up runs in just two appearances in that stretch; three against Oklahoma State and one against Texas. Both were complete game performances.

She was noticeably absent from the USA Softball National Player of the Year top three finalists. Much of that is due to the way she started the season. However, Bahl turned it on around the middle of the season and has been on fire since.

And she was again on Saturday, allowing one hit and a walk over five innings. She recorded seven strikeouts to completely shut down the Missouri Tigers offense. The two base runners she allowed were both in the fourth inning. With two on and one out, Bahl was able to get out of the jam with a ground out to third and a strikeout to end the inning. She retired the side in the other four innings she pitched.

The Oklahoma Sooners have boasted the best offensive in college softball for years now. But in 2023, they found balance by also rolling into the circle the best pitching staff in college softball. Nicole May and Alex Storako have been a huge part of that, but the run that Jordy Bahl has been on over the last two months has been remarkable.

As the Sooners look to win their third-straight national championship, this looks like the most balanced team they’ve had, and that’s because they have one of the best pitchers in college softball.

Though they didn’t need her to turn out the lights on the Tigers, Jordy Bahl put forth another masterful performance from the circle.

Here’s a look at some of the best images from Oklahoma’s 11-0 win over Missouri.

Oklahoma Sooners take home 7 NFCA All-Region honors

As Oklahoma prepares for the Norman Regional, seven Sooners were selected to the NFCA All-Region first and second team.

As the Oklahoma Sooners get set to defend their back-to-back national championships, seven players were named to the NFCA All-Region first and second teams.

That’s a hefty number and one that’s tied for the most in the nation with LSU and Oklahoma State. The Sooners and Tigers led the way with five first-team selections while the Cowgirls had four.

The Sooners could have had a couple more players make the Central All-Region team. Nicole May and Alex Storako would have been worthy considerations as well. They’ve had fantastic seasons. May is second in the nation in ERA and Storako is fourth. Though neither player has thrown more than 100 innings at this point, they’ve been instrumental in the Sooners’ 43-game winning streak.

Here’s a look at the seven players who were named to the NFCA Central All-Region team.

Oklahoma’s win over Iowa State another statement of their dominance

The Oklahoma Sooners were dominant on both sides of the ball en route to their 9-0 win over Iowa State in the semifinals of the Big 12 softball championships.

That’s how you start postseason play. Oklahoma scored three runs in the first, four in the second, and two in the third to jump out to a 9-0 lead before the Iowa State Cyclones even registered a hit.

After getting a bye from winning the regular season title, the Sooners had to patiently wait their turn to begin their quest to capture the Big 12 tournament title.

As Tom Petty says, “the waiting is the hardest part.”

Oklahoma didn’t wait long to get going offensively against a hot Iowa State team that had won nine of their last 11, including an 8-1 win over the Baylor Bears on Thursday.

The Big 12’s Player of the Year, [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag], led off with a double. The Sooners once again found themselves in a familiar place with the bases loaded. But unlike in their series against Oklahoma State, OU came through with an RBI single from [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] and a two-run double from [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag] to get off to a hot start in postseason play.

[autotag]Grace Lyon[/autotag]’s three-run home run in the second and Coleman’s two-run bomb put the game completely out of reach for the Cyclones.

The best offense in the nation provided timely hitting and home run power to coast to an impressive run-rule shutout win.

And the pitching was equally effective in their five innings of work. [autotag]Alex Storako[/autotag] allowed just two walks in three innings, true freshman [autotag]Kierston Deal[/autotag] allowed just one hit in 1.1 innings, and [autotag]Jordy Bahl[/autotag] pitched a perfect 0.2 innings of work to close out the combined one-hitter.

It was a strong performance to open postseason play as the No. 1 team in the nation pursues their third straight national championship and seventh overall.

Here are some of the best photos from the Sooners’ win over Iowa State.

Oklahoma Sooners off to roaring postseason start with 9-0 win over Iowa State

Oklahoma’s offense erupted for nine runs in the first three innings and Alex Storako, Kierston Deal, and Jordy Bahl combined to allow 1 hit in the Sooners 9-0 win over Iowa State.

It didn’t take long for the Oklahoma Sooners to announce their presence in the Big 12 championships with a 9-0 run-rule win over the Iowa State Cyclones.

[autotag]Alex Storako[/autotag] made quick work of the Cyclones in the top of the first with a 1-2-3 inning, forcing a trio of groundouts to retire the side.

Then the Sooners’ bats opened strongly with a leadoff double from [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag], who advanced to third on a wild pitch. [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] walked and stole second, and [autotag]Cydney Sanders[/autotag] walked to load the bases.

[autotag]Grace Lyons[/autotag]’ RBI single made it 1-0. [autotag]Haley Lee[/autotag] grounded into a fielder’s choice forcing Jennings out at home. Then [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag] came through with a two-run double to make it 3-0. Lee attempted to score from first and was initially ruled safe at the plate, but replay review overturned the call.

Storako avoided trouble in the second when she issued back-to-back walks to open the frame by retiring the next three batters, including a pair of strikeouts to keep the Cyclones off the scoreboard.

In the bottom of the second, [autotag]Rylie Boone[/autotag] walked with one out. After a Coleman fly out to left, Boone advanced to second on a passed ball. Jennings drove Boone in to make it 4-0, and Sanders drew her second walk of the day. That’s when the captain put the game out of reach.

With two on and two out, Grace Lyons took the first pitch from Ellie Spelhaug to deep right center for a three-run home run to make the score 7-0.

Oklahoma kept the scoring going in the bottom of the third to put the game in run-rule territory when Jayda Coleman launched her team-leading 14th home run of the season to make it 9-0.

Coleman ended the day 2-for-3 with a home run, two RBIs and two runs scored. Lyons was 2-for-2 with four RBIs and a pair of runs scored.

Storako threw three innings, allowing no hits and two walks. She recorded three strikeouts before giving way to [autotag]Kierston Deal[/autotag]. Deal, a true freshman, threw 1.1 innings, allowing one hit, before Jordy Bahl closed out the win with a pair of strikeouts in 0.2 innings.

The Oklahoma Sooners (50-1) have won 42 in a row. Oklahoma awaits the winner of the Texas Longhorns and Kansas Jayhawks in the other semifinal game. The Sooners swept both opponents in Big 12 play.

Texas reached the semifinal overcoming a four-run deficit against Texas Tech and the Jayhawks beat the Oklahoma State Cowgirls in a game that required two days to play due to inclement weather.

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Oklahoma bookends regular season No. 1 in D1Softball’s top 25

The Oklahoma Sooners finish the regular season No. 1 in D1Softball’s top 25, while Texas and Oklahoma State fall out of the top 10.

Not that they needed to sweep Oklahoma State in their Big 12 series finale to say so, but the Oklahoma Sooners reaffirmed their status as the top team in the country. The Sooners were really only in trouble in one of the games, but with a little seventh-inning magic, came back to stun the Cowgirls.

The first game of the series was an 8-3 win where the offense was just too much for the Cowgirls. On Sunday, they got a couple of timely two-run hits and road [autotag]Alex Storako[/autotag] to victory. The weekend was a testament to the Sooners’ ability to win in a variety of ways with the No. 1 offense, No. 1 pitching staff in terms of ERA, and the No. 1 defense.

The Sooners closed the season on an incredible 41-game winning streak.

Oklahoma remains No. 1 in the nation in the latest D1Softabll top 25.

UCLA comes in at No. 2, followed by Florida State, Tennessee, and Washington in the top 5. After being swept by the Baylor Bears, the Texas Longhorns dropped six spots to No. 11 and Oklahoma State fell five spots to No. 12 after being swept by Oklahoma.

Baylor, who needed a big weekend to prevent them from falling back in the Big 12 standings, came up huge to maintain their spot as the four-seed heading into the Big 12 championships. The Bears rose seven spots to No. 13 in the latest top 25.

This has already been a historic year for Oklahoma. The Sooners are on a mission to keep it going into the postseason. The presumed favorite to win the national title won’t have their challengers. It’s a deep year in collegiate softball, but the Sooners look unstoppable heading into postseason play, starting with the Big 12 championships, which begin on Thursday.

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Social media reacts to Sooners sweep of Oklahoma State in Bedlam

A look at how social media reacted to the Oklahoma Sooners sweep of the Oklahoma State Cowgirls in Bedlam.

The Oklahoma Sooners completed the 2023 regular season with a sweep of the Oklahoma State Cowgirls in Stillwater. Two of the three contests weren’t all that close as the Oklahoma Sooners pitching staff continued its incredible run on the way to a Bedlam sweep.

During the sweep, Alex Storako moved to 16-0 and recorded strikeout No. 1,000. She’s been such a huge pickup for Patty Gasso this season; she has provided a veteran presence that can throw a bunch of innings.

In the Sunday win, Grace Lyons and Alynah Torres provided the offense the Sooners needed to complete their Big 12 slate undefeated.

As Oklahoma prepares for the Big 12 championships in Oklahoma City, here’s a look at how social media reacted to the sweep.

Sooners pitching staff leads the way in Oklahoma’s Bedlam sweep

Oklahoma’s pitching staff came up big in the Bedlam sweep, allowing just six runs to a top 20 scoring offense in Oklahoma State.

With the regular season over, the Oklahoma Sooners finished No. 1 in scoring and ERA in 2023. An incredible feat for the most balanced and best team in college softball. We’re used to the Sooners offense being something special, but this year, Oklahoma’s pitching rotation has carried its fair share of the load as well.

Oklahoma State came into the series with the No. 8 team batting average and the No. 17 scoring offense, and the Sooners effectively shut them down.

In the series sweep, the Sooners’ pitching staff showed out. They allowed just six runs on the weekend against a top-20 scoring offense and just one home run. In the three games, Patty Gasso went four deep, utilizing Jordy Bahl, Nicole May, Alex Storako, and true freshman Kierston Deal.

The starters threw 19.2 of a possible 21 innings, and Deal provided 1.1 innings of work in Oklahoma’s come-from-behind win on Saturday evening. We’ve known what Oklahoma’s three primary starters were capable of, but Deal’s performance against the Cowgirls provided a glimpse of just how dangerous the Sooners’ pitching staff will be in tournament play.

When most teams will shorten their rotation of pitchers, the Oklahoma Sooners will be able to utilize four to great effect in Big 12 and NCAA tournament play.

This week, Oklahoma will play at most two games. That gives Gasso plenty of options along the way as they seek a Big 12 tournament title. When they get into regionals, super regionals, and the Women’s College World Series, nobody is set up as well as the Oklahoma Sooners because of their deep pitching staff.

For the Sooners to win their third-consecutive national championship, they’ll need the pitching staff to continue to be as good as they’ve been all season long. With a deep trio of starting pitchers and an effective true freshman that can provide a spot start or a relief appearance, Oklahoma will be incredibly difficult to beat in May and June.

Here’s a look at some of the best photos from Oklahoma’s sweep of Oklahoma State in Bedlam.