The Oklahoma Sooners started the 2022 softball season off with a bang in their season opener against UC Santa Barbara, picking up the 14-0 run-rule win.
On the backs of an offense that exploded for nine runs in the top of the first, the Sooners picked up right where they left off from their historic national championship run in 2021. Last season, the Sooners set an NCAA record for home runs and they wasted little time hitting the long ball in this one.
Second baseman Tiare Jennings got Oklahoma going in the top of the first with a lead off home run to give the Sooners a 1-0 lead. The Sooners erupted in their first at bat of the season with nine runs, including a grand slam from 2021’s national player of the year Jocelyn Alo to cap off the explosive inning.
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Jennings’ lead-off home run would be the game winner as three Sooners pitchers combined for the perfect game victory over UCSB. True freshman Jordy Bahl got her first start of the season for the Sooners and led the way with 2.2 innings pitched and four strikeouts. She retired all eight batters she faced before giving way to sophomore Nicole May, who struck out the only batter she faced. Hope Trautwein took over in the bottom of the fourth and closed out the game for the Sooners, striking out three of the six batters she faced in her two innings of work.
The Sooners would get another home run from Jennings and Kinzie Hanson hit her first of the season to help Oklahoma erupt for their first win of the season.
On the afternoon, nine players recorded a hit and nine players drove in a runner for Oklahoma. Jennings, Alo, Hansen, and shortstop Grace Lyons combined to go 7 for 13 with four home runs, seven RBIs, and 10 runs scored.
The Sooners quest to defend their 2021 national title got off to a great start with the offensive explosion and the pitching dominance. If the Oklahoma Sooners continue to get performances like this from their pitching staff, they’ll be incredibly difficult to beat all year.
The Sooners will next compete in the Mark Campbell Invitational where they’ll face Loyola Marymount and Mississippi State on Friday, before a pivotal early-season matchup with UCLA on Saturday. They’ll close out the weekend against UC-San Diego on Sunday.
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