Avery Hodge – Syndication Server

Sooners score 12 in the first to wreck the Texas Tech Red Raiders

The Oklahoma Sooners got off to a hot start in their 15-2 win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

The Oklahoma Sooners got off to a phenomenal start in their 15-2 win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders with 12 runs in the first inning before ever registering and out. And they never looked back.

[autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] swung at the first pitch she saw, dribbling it into center field. After Coleman took second on a passed ball, [autotag]Ella Parker[/autotag] beat out a play to first to put runners on the corner, and Kasidi Pickering walked to load the bases for the red-hot Cydney Sanders. Sanders singled to right field, bringing in Coleman to take a 1-0 lead.

Tiare Jennings then doubled to bring two more in, and [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag] drew another Sooners walk to load the bases again. [autotag]Riley Ludlam[/autotag] walked to make it 4-0. RBI singles from [autotag]Avery Hodge[/autotag] and [autotag]Rylie Boone[/autotag] made it 6-0 as the Sooners batted around in the first inning.

Still, with no outs and the bases loaded, [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] drew a walk to make it 7-0, and [autotag]Ella Parker[/autotag] singled to bring in Hodge and Boone, and the Sooners were up 9-0. Then the Sooners got their only home run of the inning, a three-run shot to right by [autotag]Kasidi Pickering[/autotag] to put Oklahoma up 12-0 before registering their first out of the game.

It was an incredible effort from the Sooners, who drew five walks in the inning.

According to SoonerSports.com, the 12 runs were the most scored in an inning by the Sooners since 2022 against the Kansas Jayhawks.

In the circle, Kierston Deal allowed a solo home run in the first and one in the fourth. They were the first runs she’d given up since her start against Long Beach State in Puerto Vallarta to start the season. Deal threw 3.1 innings, allowing just three hits, no walks and recording one strikeout. Despite the home runs, it was another strong performance for Deal who has been great over the last month.

[autotag]Karlie Keeney[/autotag] pitched 1.2 scoreless innings, striking out two Red Raiders without allowing a hit.

Texas Tech came into the series third in the conference in runs scored and home runs, and the Sooners’ pitching staff has allowed just two runs through 12 innings.

[autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag], who reached base in all five plate appearances on Friday night, did it again Saturday. She was 2-for-2 with a double, a walk, and three RBIs. This weekend, she’s 5-for-5 with two doubles, two home runs, three walks and nine RBIs.

[autotag]Ella Parker[/autotag], batting in the two spot, was 3-for-4 with a double and three RBIs. The Sooners leader in batting average is now hitting .450 as a true freshman.

The Sooners look to close out their series in Texas Tech with a sweep Sunday at Noon. Oklahoma is now 26-1 (5-0 Big 12) this season and riding an eight game winnings streak.

After [autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag] pitched Friday night and Deal threw on Saturday, [autotag]Nicole May[/autotag] will likely get the ball to close out the series.

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.

Kierston Deal shines, Oklahoma Sooners beat Texas A&M Commerce 9-0 in five innings

Kierston Deal threw three innings of one-hit ball and the Oklahoma Sooners jumped out to a five-run first inning lead in their 9-0 win.

It didn’t take long for the Oklahoma Sooners to get going in their midweek showdown with Texas A&M Commerce. The Sooners jumped out to a 5-0 lead and never looked back en route to a 9-0 run rule win to improve to 19-1 on the season.

[autotag]Kierston Deal[/autotag] got the start for the Oklahoma Sooners. She allowed a lead-off single and then retired the next nine batters she faced in her three innings of work. She got out of the first inning with two strikeouts to keep Texas A&M Commerce from adding to the lead-off single.

[autotag]Rylie Boone[/autotag] led off the game with a walk, followed by a couple of flyouts from [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag] and [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag]. But the Sooners were masterful with two outs. [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag] drew a four-pitch walk and [autotag]Kasidi Pickering[/autotag] continued her strong freshman campaign with a two-RBI double to put the Sooners up 2-0 in the first.

[autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] was intentionally walked bringing up freshman Ella Parker, who lined an 0-1 pitch to right field for the three-run home run to put the Sooners up 5-0 after the first.

After a 1-2-3 second inning from Deal, [autotag]Cydney Sanders[/autotag] led off the bottom of the second with a double and moved to third on Boone’s bunt single. Brito had another hard-hit ball to center field to bring home Sanders on the sacrifice fly and the Sooners led 6-0.

Deal threw another flawless inning in the third, picking up her fifth strikeout of the game.

In the bottom of the third, Hansen led off with a single to center. With [autotag]Riley Ludlam[/autotag] in to pinch run for Hansen, Pickering added her second RBI double of the game. Coleman singled to center field to bring home Pickering for the 8-0 lead. After [autotag]Hannah Coor[/autotag] entered the game to pinch run for Jennings, [autotag]Avery Hodge[/autotag] doubled to make it 9-0 in favor of the Sooners.

[autotag]Peytn Monticelli[/autotag] worked two scoreless innings of relief in the fourth and fifth to preserve the run-rule win. Over five innings of work, Deal and Monticelli combined to allow just two hits and one walk.

Deal is now 4-0 with a team-leading 0.97 ERA in 2024. Over her last four starts, Deal has now gone 19 innings without allowing a run. In that span she has a 0.63 WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) and has recorded 23 strikeouts.

Pickering was the only Sooner with multiple hits in the game. She now leads the Sooners with a .458 batting average. Boone, Hansen, and Coleman each had a walk and a hit in the win. Parker’s home run was her fourth of the season. Along with the four home runs, she now has 18 RBIs on the season, good for third on the team.

Oklahoma will open Big 12 play this weekend with a three game home slate against Iowa State. The Cyclones are currently 9-10 on the season ahead of their trip to Norman.

Oklahoma Sooners earn 70th win in a row with 8-0 win over Louisiana

The Oklahoma Sooners extended their win streak to 70 with an 8-0 win over Louisiana.

The Oklahoma Sooners moved to 17-0 with an 8-0 win over the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns in the first of two games on Saturday. OU has now won an incredible 70 games in a row.

[autotag]Kierston Deal[/autotag] got the start and worked four scoreless innings, allowing three hits, two walks, and a hit batter with two strikeouts in the outing. [autotag]Peytn Monticelli[/autotag] came in and threw a scoreless fifth inning to help Oklahoma seal the win.

Oklahoma’s offense got going early with a three-run first inning. [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag], [autotag]Ella Parker[/autotag], and [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] each had an RBI double in the frame to put the Sooners up early.

The Sooners added four more runs in the second. [autotag]Riley Ludlam[/autotag] led off with a solo home run before Brito doubled home [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] for her second extra-base hit of the game. Parker walked to load the bases and [autotag]Avery Hodge[/autotag] earned another walk to score [autotag]Riley Boone[/autotag]. [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] closed the scoring with a sacrifice fly to put the Sooners up 7-0.

In the bottom of the fourth, [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag] smashed her third double of the day, and after a passed ball allowed Brito to get to third and eventually scored on [autotag]Maya Bland[/autotag]’s ground out.

The Sooners will take on Liberty in the afternoon part of their Saturday double-header after beating the Flames 8-0 on Friday night.

Oklahoma Sooners run rule Central Arkansas 9-0 to open Cowgirl Challenge

Oklahoma Sooners opened their weekend in the Cowgirl Challenge with a 9-0 win over Central Arkansas.

The Oklahoma Sooners offense erupted in the bottom of the fourth inning for nine runs, which was all they needed to beat Central Arkansas and move to 5-0 on the season.

Central Arkansas starter Julia Petty kept the Sooners’ bats at bay for three innings, surrendering just a few hits. But in the bottom of the fourth inning, the Sooners bats came to life.

[autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag] led off the inning with an infield single and advanced to second on a throwing error. True freshman [autotag]Ella Parker[/autotag] took advantage and drove Hansen in on an RBI single, giving the Sooners a 1-0 lead. Parker took second on the throw home. After [autotag]Kasidi Pickering[/autotag] walked, [autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag] singled to bring Parker in to make it 2-0. Pickering went first to third on the hit to keep the scoring threat alive.

After Torres stole second, putting a pair of runners in scoring position, [autotag]Rylie Boone[/autotag] cleared the bases with a triple to right field. [autotag]Avery Hodge[/autotag] followed that up with a triple of her own to make it 5-0 Sooners with no outs in the inning.

Hodge scored on a wild pitch to make it 6-0 followed by doubles from [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] and [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] made it 7-0. [autotag]Riley Ludlam[/autotag], pinch hitting for [autotag]Cydney Sanders[/autotag], reahed on an error and Hansen walked to load the bases for Parker. Parker came through again with an RBI single to score Jennings and make it 8-0 and put the run rule in effect. The final run of the nine-run fourth inning came from [autotag]Hannah Coor[/autotag], who reached on a fielder’s choice but scored Ludlam in the process.

It was the type of showing that reminded us that the Sooners can put runs on the board in a hurry. They sent 11 batters to the plate before Central Arkansas was able to record an out in the inning. By the time the bottom of the fourth came to a close, the game was all but over.

[autotag]Nicole May[/autotag] threw another four scoreless innings to keep her ERA at a perfect 0.00 on the season. She allowed one hit and one walk while striking out six for another fantastic performance from the Sooners veteran.

[autotag]Peytn Monticelli[/autotag] worked a scoreless fifth inning, surrendering a walk while also striking out the side to close out the Sooners win.

Coleman, Jennings, Parker, and Torres each recorded two hits. Parker and Boone each had a pair of RBIs.

It was a strong performance to start the weekend in Lake Charles. Though the bats were slow to get going, once they did, Oklahoma couldn’t be stopped. The Sooners extended their record winning-streak to 58 games with the win ahead of their night cap with McNeese State.

Tiare Jennings taking over at shortstop for the Oklahoma Sooners

Meeting with the media Monday, Patty Gasso revealed that Tiare Jennings will be the Sooners new shortstop in 2024.

She’s had a remarkable run at second base during her career with the Oklahoma Sooners, but [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] has found a new home.

Meeting with the media on Monday ahead of this week’s season opener in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, [autotag]Patty Gasso[/autotag] revealed that her All-American second baseman will be sliding over to shortstop for 2024.

Replacing [autotag]Grace Lyons[/autotag], the game’s best defender for the last several seasons, is no small task. Though she’s been mostly known for her work at the plate, Jennings has been phenomenal at second base during Oklahoma’s three consecutive national championship runs.

Jennings has a career fielding percentage of .982 after posting a career-high .992 in 2023, a season in which she had just one error. She’s been as steady as they come at second base while combining with Lyons to form a deadly double-play duo the last several seasons.

While we have an answer for shortstop, the question moves to who will take over at second base. Gasso plans to platoon [autotag]Avery Hodge[/autotag], [autotag]Quincee Lilio[/autotag], and [autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag] at that spot for the time being.

Hodge has made her mark as a pinch runner during her time with the Sooners, flashing her speed to put pressure on opposing defenses. Lilio has been a reliable bench piece for the Sooners, hitting .275 with a home run and nine RBIs in 40 plate appearances in 2023. Torres was the Sooners’ everyday right fielder in 2023 and hit .350 with two home runs and 23 RBIs last year. She has experience playing in the infield from her time at Arizona State and has a career fielding percentage of .944.

The Oklahoma Sooners will begin their title defense this weekend with a series in Puerto Vallarta vs. Utah Valley, No. 9/11 Duke, No. 10/7 Washington, and Long Beach State.

Oklahoma enters the season riding a 53-game winning streak.

Oklahoma Sooners win pitcher duel, beating Stanford 2-0

Jordy Bahl’s complete game shutout lifts the Oklahoma Sooners to a 2-0 win over Stanford in the opener of the Women’s College World Series.

The Oklahoma Sooners opened the Women’s College World Series with a 2-0 win. The win kept their record-breaking streak intact with a 49th consecutive victory.

Right off the bat, this game had the makings of a pitcher’s duel between Jordy Bahl and Stanford’s NiJaree Canady. In the first inning, both teams put runners on base, but neither team could get anything going. And that would be the theme for much of the afternoon.

The Cardinal were outhitting the Sooners for much of the contest as NiJaree Canady kept the No. 1 offense in the country quiet through four innings. Stanford put multiple runners on base in the first, fourth, and fifth innings but came away empty handed as Jordy Bahl pitched around several difficult situations.

Oklahoma finally found some life in the bottom of the fifth inning. Alynah Torres earned a one-out single. Patty Gasso inserted Avery Hodge to run for Torres. With two outs in the inning, Rylie Boone singled to put runners on first and second. Then Jayda Coleman did what Sooners do and came through in a clutch moment with an RBI single that turned into two runs after an error by the left fielder.

All three base hits in the inning came with two strikes in the count against Canady, who boasts the lowest ERA in the nation.

Several times throughout the game, the Cardinal threatened to score and each time, Jordy Bahl came up with a big strikeout to end the threat. Bahl earned a complete game shutout to move to 19-1 on the season and lower her ERA to 1.03 in 2023.

Bahl collected 11 strikeouts for the win, navigating around seven base runners in the win. Canady was great for Stanford, allowing just two runs on four hits, while collecting seven strikeouts in the contest.

The win sets up a great matchup, as the Sooners will take on the 4th-seeded Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday at 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ABC.

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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 Jake on Twitter @jake_faigus

Oklahoma Sooners win Big 12 championship with 6-1 win over Texas Longhorns

The Oklahoma Sooners captured the Big 12 tournament title with a 6-1 win over the Texas Longhorns.

The Oklahoma Sooners completed the Big 12 sweep with their championship game win over the Texas Longhorns 6-1.

Both sides of the Red River championship showdown had their shot in the first couple of innings, but starters [autotag]Nicole May[/autotag] and [autotag]Citally Gutierrez[/autotag] kept each side off the scoreboard. [autotag]Haley Lee[/autotag] ended the scoreless duel by blasting a solo home run to lead off the third inning.

Texas responded with a solo shot of its own off the bat of [autotag]Viviana Martinez[/autotag] in the top of the fourth to make it a 1-1 game.

The Sooners wasted little time responding to the Longhorns’ salvo in the bottom of the fourth. With one out in the inning, [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag] hit a double and advanced to third on an errant throw. Brito scored on a wild pitch to give the Sooners the lead.

[autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag] drew a walk and [autotag]Jordy Bahl[/autotag] was inserted to pinch run and stole second base. With two outs in the inning, [autotag]Rylie Boone[/autotag] drove a ball up the middle to bring [autotag]Jordy Bahl[/autotag] in from second to make it 4-1 Oklahoma.

In the sixth inning, Lee walked. With [autotag]Avery Hodge[/autotag] running for Lee and one out in the inning, [autotag]Jordy Bahl[/autotag] drove a ball to right center. Hodge scored on a throwing error, which also allowed Bahl to advance to third on the play. With [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag] at the plate, Bahl showed fantastic base running skills again, waiting out the throw from third basemen Mia Scott to dart for home, where she slid in to make the game 6-1.

After pinch running in the fourth, Bahl came into relieve [autotag]Nicole May[/autotag]. Bahl proceeded to throw three shutout innings with two hits and a walk, striking out three Longhorns to get the save. May improved to 16-0 on the season, allowing one run on three hits and a walk, with three strikeouts.

Lee led the way for the Sooners, going 2-for-2 with the home run, RBI and a walk.

The Oklahoma Sooners (51-1) and are on an incredible 43-game winning streak. The No. 1 team in the nation awaits the announcement on selection Sunday of who will join them for the Norman regional.

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Oklahoma Sooners beat Oklahoma State Cowgirls 4-2 in comeback fashion

Oklahoma Sooners picked up their 40th consecutive win with four runs in the top of the seventh for a 4-2 win over Oklahoma State.

Oklahoma won game two of their three-game series against No.7/6 Oklahoma State 4-2 with three with four runs in the top of the seventh to improve to 48-1 on the season and 17-0 against the Big 12.

Oklahoma struggled most of the day on offense, with only three hits through the first six innings against Oklahoma State freshman pitcher Kyra Aycock. The Sooners then went to work in their final at-bat.

Oklahoma State lead 2-0 heading into the seventh after picking up an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth off of starter [autotag]Nicole May[/autotag].

[autotag]Jocelyn Erickson[/autotag] doubled to lead off the inning, and [autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag] followed that with a single to drive in pinch runner [autotag]Jordy Bahl[/autotag] from second.

Oklahoma State brought in the ace of their staff [autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag], but it didn’t seem to make a difference. Rylie Boone drew a hit by pitch to put runners on first and second with nobody out. Maxwell was able to strikeout [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] to put pressure back on the Sooners, but after a wild pitch moved Torres on third and Boone on second, [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] stepped up and blasted a two-run double to left center to put Oklahoma up 3-2.

“You can never count the Sooners out,” said Jennings after the game. “So much joy, so much fun playing. You can see that. We knew we were never out of this game, no matter what the score was, no matter what the inning was. We just knew in the dugout that we were gonna keep smiling, keep cheering and keep having fun.”

Cydney Sanders put the final dent in the score with an RBI single to make it 4-2. Maxwell walked [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag], and Aycock came back in for Oklahoma State. She gave up a single to [autotag]Grace Lyons[/autotag] but then forced Haley Lee to pop out to end the threat.

Then it was time for freshman [autotag]Kierston Deal[/autotag] to shine.

After coming in to record the final out of the sixth inning in relief of Nicole May, Deal retired the Cowgirls in order in the bottom of the seventh to seal the come-from-behind win for the Oklahoma Sooners. She retired all four batters she faced, striking out two Oklahoma State batters in the process to move to 2-0 on the season. With the effort, Deal’s ERA is now 0.95 on the season.

“This team knows as long as they have one out left in a game, they’re never out of it,” Gasso said after the win. “You could feel that momentum come. They will not be denied. They believe in each other. They are unafraid of losing, and that’s a big deal.”

Nicole May battled for 5.2 innings, allowing eight hits, two runs, a walk, and striking out four. May didn’t factor into the decision but kept the Cowgirls from creating big innings with some clutch pitching.

The Oklahoma Sooners moved to 48-1 and 17-0 in Big 12 play on the season and have now won 40 games in a row, surpassing their 39-game winning streak from a year ago. The Sooners and Cowgirls will play the final game of the series and the regular season on Sunday afternoon at 2 pm CT in Stillwater. The game can be viewed on ESPN+.

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Social media reacts to Oklahoma Sooners epic 7th inning comeback win over Oklahoma State

The Oklahoma Sooners rallied in the seventh inning to top Oklahoma State Cowgirls 4-2 and had social media buzzing in the process.

Down 2-0 in the seventh, just when you were counting them out, the Oklahoma Sooners did like they always seem to do; rallied in the seventh inning to beat a rival.

Just like they did on April 1 against the Texas Longhorns, the Oklahoma Sooners overcame a two-run deficit in the seventh to beat another rival. Against Texas, it was Jayda Coleman and Kinzie Hansen coming through in the clutch. On Saturday afternoon in Stillwater, it was Alynah Torres bringing the Sooners within one and Tiare Jennings providing the go-ahead runs on a double to left-center to make it 3-2.

Cydney Sanders provided the insurance run to make it 4-2, and Kierston Deal picked up where she left off in the sixth and worked a 1-2-3 seventh to seal the victory for the Oklahoma Sooners.

Oklahoma moves to 48-1 on the season and remains perfect in Big 12 play at 17-0. They extended their winning streak to 40 games, surpassing their 39-game winning streak from the 2022 season.

With the come-from-behind win, the Oklahoma Sooners clinch the Bedlam series against Oklahoma State. The late-inning effort had Twitter buzzing and here are some of the best reactions from social media.

Oklahoma Sooners run-rule Texas Longhorns 10-2 for three-game sweep

The Oklahoma Sooners completed the three-game sweep with a 10-2 run-rule win over the Texas Longhorns powered by home runs from Tiare Jennings and Haley Lee.

For the third straight game, the Oklahoma Sooners allowed the Texas Longhorns to score first. As was the case in the first two games of the series, it didn’t matter.

The Oklahoma Sooners used a three-run second and a five-run fifth to beat the Longhorns 10-2 to sweep the series against their Red River Rivals.

After falling behind 1-0 in the first inning on a [autotag]Mia Scott[/autotag] home run, the Oklahoma Sooners came right back in the bottom of the first to tie it up on a [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag] RBI.

[autotag]Nicole May[/autotag] settled in after the first to retire nine of the next 11 hitters, and the Sooners erupted offensively.

In the bottom of the second, Arizona State transfer [autotag]Cydney Sanders[/autotag] drove a two-strike pitch for her first hit of the day. Rylie Boone followed that with a walk, and after [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] flied out, [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] launched a two-out home run for her ninth of the season to give Oklahoma a 4-1 lead.

In the bottom of the third, the Longhorns suffered back-to-back errors to allow Alyssa Brito to score and [autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag] to advance to second. Sanders moved Torres over to third base. [autotag]Rylie Boone[/autotag] was hit by a pitch and Jayda Coleman followed that up with a bunt single to score Torres and make it 6-1 Sooners.

Jennings then singled to drive in Coleman for her fourth RBI of the day, and Haley then blasted her eighth home run of the season to give the Sooners a 9-1 lead.

A brief lightning delay put a hold on Oklahoma’s efforts, but the Sooners pulled out the run-rule win on a Cydney Sanders RBI double to score [autotag]Avery Hodge[/autotag] from first. The walk-off double gave Sanders her second hit of the day, and it was her first multi-hit game since February 18, when she went 2-for-2 against Stephen F. Austin.

Tiare Jennings’ four-RBI day was her third in the last five games. She has hit five home runs in her last eight games and has totaled 17 runs batted in that same time frame. She now has nine home runs and 39 RBIs on the season and is hitting .457.

[autotag]Nicole May[/autotag] was solid for 5.1 innings, battling around six hits and two walks. She struck out eight to move to 10-0 on the season.

Oklahoma is now 33-1 on the season and 12-0 against top-25 opponents. The sweep of Texas gives them five wins against opponents ranked in the top 10 in the nation. It was also their 30th win in the last 31 games against the Longhorns.

The Sooners will next host the Texas Tech Lady Raiders at Marita Hynes Field in Norman for a three-game series starting on Thursday. Each of those contests can be seen on ESPN+. After Texas Tech, the Sooners will face the LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge before a road trip to Miami, Ohio to face Oakland, Louisville, and Miami (OH).

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