Tag: Alex Storako

Jordy Bahl dominant in relief appearance to help Oklahoma beat Florida State

Jordy Bahl put on a show in a dominant relief appearance to help the Oklahoma Sooners beat the Florida State Seminoles.

She took the softball world by storm as a true freshman in 2022. In a season with a bit of uncertainty in the circle, [autotag]Jordy Bahl[/autotag] became the ace of the staff until a shoulder injury limited her late in the season.

2023 has been a bit of a different story for the Sooners’ sophomore. She’s pitched well but hasn’t been the intensely dominant force that’s stalked the diamond like a lioness hunting her prey. But perhaps things are beginning to come together for the sophomore star.

Bahl pitched a perfect game on Friday against Southeastern Louisiana on Friday. She was hit around in Oklahoma’s Saturday matchup with Mississippi State before pitching a scoreless inning in relief against South Dakota State on Monday.

But it was a relief role on Tuesday evening that might have been her most impressive performance of the season.

[autotag]Alex Storako[/autotag] battled for four innings against a tough Florida State team, but allowed four earned runs. It was the first outing in which she’d allowed a run dating back more than a month when she allowed one earned run in 5.2 innings pitched to Stanford on February. 10. She’d gone 30.2 innings pitched without allowing a run.

After allowing a three-run home run in the top of the fourth, the Sooners’ offense responded, immediately taking the lead back. Then Jordy Bahl put on a show.

Bahl allowed a leadoff single to Josie Muffley, then proceeded to retire nine straight, including a stretch where she struck out six straight Seminoles.

“It’s been awhile since he’s really come in and closed,” Sooners coach Patty Gasso said. “She just hammered it down.”

In a challenging mid-week showdown of top 10 teams, this felt more like a postseason game between the Sooners and the Seminoles, teams that met in the 2021 Women’s College World Series.

But Jordy Bahl rose to the occasion against a lineup that was performing despite a raucous home environment favoring the Sooners. It was a clutch performance, reminding us why she’s considered one of the best pitchers in college softball.

 

5 takeaways from Oklahoma softball’s three-game sweep in the Bulldog Invitational

Oklahoma’s offense continues to roll while the pitching staff is looking great. Here are 5 takeaways from the Sooners weekend in Starkville.

The Oklahoma Sooners moved to 20-1 with their three-game sweep in the Bulldog Invitational. Oklahoma picked up wins over Southeastern Louisiana and Mississippi State.

SE Louisiana came into the weekend 19-2 and the Bulldogs were 16-5 before running into the Oklahoma Sooners buzz saw.

The Sooners used their powerful lineup and dominant pitching staff to leave little doubt who was the better team in Starkville.

The Sooners outscored their opponents, 29-3, in the three games with two shutouts and two run-rule wins.

The Sooners return to Norman for an impromptu game against South Dakota State on Monday (a makeup from the Omaha cancellation) before a top-five matchup with Florida State on Tuesday. Then Oklahoma will participate in the Omni Hall of Fame Classic in Oklahoma City.

Before we get to a big week of Sooners softball, here are five takeaways from Oklahoma’s three-game sweep in Starkville.

Alex Storako’s no-hitter, Kinzie Hansen’s homers power Oklahoma to 18-0 win over No. 17 Kentucky

After being named Big 12 Pitcher of the Week after her performance against UCLA with another dominant performance over Kentucky.

After an incredible outing to beat the UCLA Bruins to close out the Mary Nutter Classic in California, the Oklahoma Sooners put together an encore performance Friday evening against No. 17 Kentucky.

After beating UIC 5-0 in the first game of their Friday double-header, the Oklahoma Sooners were once again dominant over a ranked opponent, beating the Wildcats 18-0 at Marita Hynes Field.

[autotag]Alex Storako[/autotag] got the start in the circle and was flawless, throwing five innings and striking out five for the no-hitter. Her lone blemish in the win was a hit batter with two outs in the first inning. She didn’t allow another base runner over the final 4.1 innings pitched to move to 5-0 and lower her ERA to 0.27 on the season.

Not to be overshadowed by another dominant outing for Storako, the Sooners’ bats had another huge outing.

As they’ve done a lot this year, Oklahoma went to work early, putting the pressure on in the first inning.

[autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] led off the game with a double before [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] drove her in for the 1-0 lead. After moving to third on a [autotag]Haley Lee[/autotag] ground out, and [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag] singled and stole second, true freshman Jocelyn Erickson came up with a pair of runners in scoring position and just one out.

She did what she’s been doing all year and added to the lead with a two-run single to make it 3-0 OU.

Hansen, who had a huge debut weekend in the Mary Nutter Classic a week ago, kept her offensive outburst going with a grand slam in the second inning to put the Sooners up 4-0.

It was her third home run of the season and first of two in the game.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, the Oklahoma Sooners erupted for 10 runs, kickstarted by Jayda Coleman’s fourth home run of the season. It was a solo shot to put the Sooners up 8-0. But they weren’t satisfied there.

With two on and one out, [autotag]Sophia Nugent[/autotag] belted a three-run home run for her third home run of the season. Arizona State transfer [autotag]Cydney Sanders[/autotag] and [autotag]Quincee Lilio[/autotag] followed Nugent’s blast with home runs of their own to go back-to-back-to-back.

Jordy Bahl walked to drive in a run, and Haley Lee brought in Rylie Boone from third on a fielder’s choice to make it 15-0. Then Kinzie Hansen came to the plate again and bashed a three-run home run for her fourth homer of the year. Hansen’s played in just seven games this season and has four home runs and 16 RBIs.

The Sooners hit five home runs in the 10-run inning to put away yet another top 25 opponent.

Oklahoma was pretty much flawless from the circle and at the plate. In Alex Storako’s last two starts, both against ranked teams, the Sooners have outscored their opponents 32-0.

Oklahoma is now 15-1 on the season and has been absolutely dominant since losing to Baylor nearly two weeks ago.

They’ll face Kentucky once again at 3 p.m. CT on Saturday at Marita Hynes Feld. Their second matchup with UIC will follow Oklahoma-UCLA.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=683578888]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz7cqqgxy50qwt player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.

Oklahoma Sooners Pitcher Alex Storako named Big 12 Pitcher of the Week

After her flawless performance against UCLA, Oklahoma Sooners pitcher Alex Storako was named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week.

For the first time since trading her maize and blue for crimson and cream, Oklahoma Sooners pitcher Alex Storako was named the Big 12’s Pitcher of the Week. The early returns on Storako’s transfer from the Michigan Wolverines are looking quite good for head coach Patty Gasso and the Oklahoma Sooners.

After losing to Baylor, the Sooners didn’t miss a beat. They responded by rattling off five straight wins, four of them via run-rule. Their most recent victory was a 14-0 romp over the then No. 1 UCLA Bruins. Storako’s performance against UCLA is what earned her this honor.

Storako was fantastic all weekend long, but against UCLA, she spread three hits across five innings of work and struck out five. She was dominant. On a day when the Oklahoma bats erupted for 14 runs, Storako gave the UCLA batting order little room to breathe.

The Michigan transfer allowed just seven base runners and didn’t allow a run across 10 innings of work and went 2-0 in the Mary Nutter Classic. She combined with Jordy Bahl for the shutout victory over Cal State Fullerton.

Since blowing out UCLA, the Sooners have reclaimed the top spot in the rankings, knocking the Bruins down to No. 2.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=683578888]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz7cqqgxy50qwt player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.You can also follow Ben on Twitter @bendackiw.

Oklahoma Sooners blast No. 1 UCLA Bruins 14-0

The Oklahoma Sooners were more than prepared for their matchup with No. 1 UCLA, blasting 6 home runs to support Alex Storako’s shutout of the Bruins.

Any lingering questions about this Oklahoma Sooners teams should be put to bed after closing out the [autotag]Mary Nutter Classic[/autotag] with a 14-0 domination over the previously undefeated and No. 1 ranked UCLA Bruins.

The Oklahoma Sooners wasted no time establishing themselves at the plate, loading the bases early against UCLA ace pitcher [autotag]Megan Fariamo[/autotag]. Though Oklahoma wasn’t able to push any runs across the plate, that set the stage for what was to come over the final four innings.

With two outs in the second inning, the Oklahoma Sooners began the launch party with back-to-back home runs from [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag] and [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] to make it 2-0. Then [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] and [autotag]Haley Lee[/autotag] hit two-run home runs to put the Sooners up 6-0 after two.

Oklahoma kept the offense going in the third. After Brito was moved over to third on Jayda Coleman’s double, Tiare Jennings drove both of them in to extend the lead to 8-0.

In the top of the fourth, Oklahoma continued to pour it on with a [autotag]Kinzie Hansen [/autotag]home run, a two-run shot for her first of the season. Since her 2023 debut on Friday, Hansen had an RBI in each game for the Sooners. Well, she erupted in this one. In addition to her two-run home run in the fourth, Hansen had a three-run homer in the fifth to eclipse her RBI total coming into the season.

Hansen finished the day 2 for 4 with two home runs, five RBIs, and two runs scored. Back in 2021, Hansen hit 20 home runs before an injury-laden 2022. She looks to have found her power stroke so far in 2023, which will make the Sooners even more dangerous.

Jayda Coleman and Tiare Jennings also had fantastic days at the plate, each going three for four in the win. Both Coleman and Jennings hit home runs and Jennings had four RBIs for the Sooners.

After not registering a hit in Friday’s wins over Cal State Fullerton and Texas A&M, Jennings went 6 for 9 on Saturday and Sunday with two home runs, six RBIs, and three runs scored. The preseason favorite for national player of the year has begun to find her hitting stroke, and that’s a dangerous proposition for Oklahoma’s opponents.

True freshman [autotag]Jocelyn Erickson[/autotag] had another solid day at the plate, going 2 for 3 with a run scored. Erickson’s now hitting .571 on the season to lead the Sooners. [autotag]Rylie Boone[/autotag] improved her batting average to .423 after a two-hit performance.

Not to be outdone, [autotag]Alex Storako[/autotag] was magnificent. She asserted herself as one of the best pitchers in college softball with her five-inning shutout of UCLA. She allowed just three hits in the game, all singles, and was never in any real danger. Storako struck out five Bruins and didn’t allow a walk in a dominant performance.

Storako’s now 4-0 on the season and lowered her ERA to 0.34. She’s recorded 26 strikeouts in 20.1 innings pitched this season.

Oklahoma is now 13-1 on the season. They’ve recorded nine shutouts and nine run-rule victories in their first 14 games.

The Sooners return home to the friendly confines of Marita Hynes field for the OU Tournament. They’ll face Incarnate word and Kentucky twice over the three-day tourney.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=683578888]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz7cqqgxy50qwt player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.

‘Bombs Away’: Social Media Reacts to Sooners dominant win over No. 1 UCLA

The Oklahoma Sooners dominated the No. 1 UCLA Bruins in every facet of their 14-0 win Sunday, and social media loved every bit of it.

There’s no other way to describe what the Oklahoma Sooners did to the No. 1 UCLA Bruins on Sunday but utter annihilation. The Sooners blasted six home runs, and Alex Storako was dominant in the circle on their way to a 14-0 run-rule win over UCLA.

After coming away empty with a bases loaded opportunity in the first inning, the Sooners got the party started in the second with four home runs, including back-to-back home runs from Alyssa Brito and Jayda Coleman. Haley Lee and Tiare Jennings bombed a pair of two-run home runs to leave the second frame up 6-0.

They kept the scoring going in the third inning with a pair of runs on a Tiare Jennings RBI double. They plated two more runs in the fourth on Kinzie Hansen’s first home run of the season, a two-run blast. Hansen hit a three-run home run in the fifth to continue her incredible run since making her debut on Friday.

As dominant as the Sooners were from the plate, Alex Storako was equally so from the circle, holding the UCLA Bruins to just three hits over five innings. She also had five strikeouts and didn’t allow a walk in her best performance since joining Oklahoma.

After losing to Baylor 4-3 in Waco a week ago, the Sooners dropped to No. 2 in the nation, and questions about their status as the team to beat in 2023 began to swirl.

Well, those questions can be put to bed after the Sooners dominated a UCLA team who entered the game undefeated with wins over the likes of Florida and Florida State.

It was an incredible performance that reestablished the Sooners as the No. 1 team in the country, and social media was buzzing throughout the dominant 14-0 performance.

Oklahoma Sooners stay hot in win over Loyola Marymount

Oklahoma moved to 12-1 on the season with their 10-1 win over Loyola Marymount in the Mary Nutter Classic.

As they’ve done a lot this year, the Oklahoma Sooners jumped on Loyola Marymount early and cruised to a 10-1 victory behind a strong start from true freshman [autotag]Kierston Deal[/autotag] in the circle.

[autotag]Grace Lyons[/autotag] got things going at the plate with a single out of the second spot in the order. She moved over to third on [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag]’ single to left. [autotag]Haley Lee[/autotag] then doubled to score Lyons, and Jennings scored on [autotag]Jocelyn Erickson[/autotag]’s fielder’s choice. [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag] continued her strong start to the season with another RBI when she drove in Lee from third.

[autotag]Cydney Sanders[/autotag] singled to lead off the second and scored on Rylie Boone’s double to right. Jayda Coleman then hit her first home run of the season, a two-run shot to left-center to give the Sooners a 6-0 lead.

With two outs in the inning, [autotag]Haley Lee[/autotag] hit her first career triple to set up Erickson with another RBI opportunity to make it 7-0 through two innings.

Oklahoma got three more in the third when [autotag]Quincee Lilio[/autotag] cleared the bases with an RBI triple.

[autotag]Kierston Deal[/autotag] worked around a double in the first, recording two strikeouts. She allowed just three baserunners through four innings before running into a bit of trouble in the fifth. After loading the bases, [autotag]Alex Storako[/autotag] came in to close out the win. Loyola Marymount was able to pick up one run in the bottom of the fifth, but that was all they could muster in the 10-1 loss to Oklahoma.

The Oklahoma Sooners moved to 12-1 with the win, setting up a showdown between the top two teams in the country when they face UCLA on Sunday.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=683578888]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz7cqqgxy50qwt player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.

How to Watch No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners softball vs. Baylor Bears on Sunday

The No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners will take on the Baylor Bears in the Getterman Classic on Sunday, and here’s how you can tune in to the action.

The No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners look to continue their hot start to the season on Sunday against the Baylor Bears in their finale of the Getterman Classic.

Oklahoma is 8-0 on the season and has outscored its opponents, 70-5. The Sooners have recorded six shutouts and haven’t allowed a run in their last four games. They have run-rule wins in five of their last six games, including their last four.

In the Getterman Classic, Oklahoma is 3-0 and is winning by an average of 13.67-0.

After a tough opening weekend where Patty Gasso’s crew recorded three top-25 wins and had to battle against Liberty and Washington. This weekend has been a different story, jumping on teams early and running away with run-rule win.

True freshman Jocelyn Erickson has been the story of the weekend in Waco. She’s hit three home runs and recorded 12 RBIs in the Sooners’ three games, including a 5-for-5 performance against Stephen F. Austin on Saturday. In the win over the Lady Jacks, she had a home run and eight RBIs.

Erickson leads the Sooners with a .643 batting average, four home runs, and 14 RBIs.

Here’s when you should tune in to see the game:

  • Date: Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023
  • Time: 12:00 p.m. CT
  • Live Stream: ESPN+ (Subscription Required)
  • Listen: Chris Plan on the Call on 107.7 The Franchise

Players to Watch

Oklahoma

[autotag]Jocelyn Erickson[/autotag], UTIL: .643 average, 4 home runs, 14 RBIs

[autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag], 3B: .381 average, 2 home runs, 5 doubles, 11 RBIs

[autotag]Grace Lyons[/autotag], SS: . 500 average, 8 RBIs.

[autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag], CF: .333 average, .556 OBP, 8 walks, 9 runs scored.

[autotag]Nicole May[/autotag], P: 15.1 IP, 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 28 strikeouts

[autotag]Jordy Bahl[/autotag], P: 15.2 IP, 3-0, 1.79 ERA, 22 strikeouts

[autotag]Alex Storako[/autotag], P: 10.2 IP, 2-0, 0.66 ERA, 15 strikeouts

Baylor

Aliyah Binford, 3B: .529 average, 1 home run, 5 RBIs

Shaylon Govan, 1B: .455 average, 1 home run, 13 RBIs

Amber Toven, SS: .500 average, 1 home run, 7 RBIs

RyLee Crandall, P: 8.1 IP, 1-0, 0.84 ERA, 12 strikeouts

Dariana Orme, P: 13 IP, 2-1, 1.08 ERA, 15 strikeouts

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=683578888]

[mm-video type=video id=01gsgjxf76c4m637qc7y playlist_id=none player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gsgjxf76c4m637qc7y/01gsgjxf76c4m637qc7y-9a9bb29b95d77d5d5847c887c9e529b1.jpg]

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.

5 takeaways from Oklahoma’s 5-0 weekend at the Mark Campbell Invitational

The Oklahoma Sooners went 5-0 in the Mark Campbell Invitational with three ranked wins, two shutouts, and two run-rule wins. Here are 5 takeaways.

The Oklahoma Sooners got things started with a bang in the Mark Campbell Invitational over the weekend, going 5-0 to open the season.

They were challenged in two of their five matchups, winning one-run ball games against Liberty and Washington, but also picked up a pair of run-rule wins over Stanford and San Jose State.

Oklahoma beat three top 25 teams, including a 4-0 shutout of Duke, a 10-1 win over Stanford, and the 5-4 nailbiter against the Huskies.

It was a productive start to the season that saw the Oklahoma Sooners deploy a lot of players. 15 players registered an at-bat, and four pitchers threw four or more innings pitched. And here’s a breakdown of the weekend from Seth Oliveras.

Oklahoma Sooners pitching dominant in opening day doubleheader sweep

Jordy Bahl and Nicole May combined for 15 shutout innings and 18 strikeouts to lead the Sooners to a 2-0 record on opening day of the 2023 season.

The Oklahoma Sooners opened the 2023 season with wins over No. 16/19 Duke and Liberty in a Thursday doubleheader. They beat the Blue Devils 4-0 and Liberty 1-0.

Shutting out their opponents to start the season isn’t all that different. The Sooners blanked their first three opponents of the season a year ago. The difference, however, is Oklahoma’s offense powered them to two run-rule wins in those first three shutouts.

On opening day, it was pitching and defense that helped the Sooners start 2023 on a high note.

[autotag]Jordy Bahl[/autotag] threw a complete game shutout, allowing just four hits and a pair of walks across seven innings. Bahl struck out eight Blue Devils and drove in a pair of runs from the plate.

In the nightcap, [autotag]Nicole May[/autotag] followed up a stellar performance from Bahl with one of her own, striking out 10 in an extra-inning complete game shutout of Liberty. Like Bahl, May only allowed six baserunners (four hits and two walks) but didn’t get much run support from an offense that’s starting off slower than they have in recent years.

But with how deep the Sooners are in the circle, the Oklahoma offense isn’t under the same pressure to score that they’ve had in recent years. But they’re going to score, and they’re going to score a lot. Jayda Coleman, Tiare Jennings, and Cydney Sanders aren’t going to go a combined 4 for 20 like they did in the two wins on opening day.

The Sooners offense will get going, but so far it’s been the pitching that’s carried them. And they haven’t even deployed all of their arms yet. With No. No. 17/14 Stanford on Friday night, it’s likely that we’ll see Michigan transfer [autotag]Alex Storako[/autotag]. Storako threw 300 strikeouts in 200 innings last year for the Wolverines.

Oklahoma plays No. 14/16 Washington on Saturday and San Jose State. on Sunday. And this is where things get interesting. Will head coach Patty Gasso use a strict rotation and go with Storako on Friday night and then true freshman [autotag]Kierston Deal[/autotag] on Saturday? Or will she go back to Jordy Bahl against a top-25 opponent and let Deal get her feet wet against San Jose State on Sunday?

After relying on the offense to bully teams over the last several years, in 2023 the pitching staff is going to be as dangerous as Oklahoma’s vaunted lineup. That was on full display on Thursday on the first day of the season.

This Oklahoma Sooners team is going to be challenged every outing, but the pitching has shown on the first day of the season that they’re willing to duel it out with the opposition.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=683578888]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz7cqqgxy50qwt player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.