Tag: Heather Tarr

No. 1 Oklahoma run-rules No. 16 Washington 9-1 to return to Women’s College World Series

No. 1 Oklahoma softball run-ruled No. 16 Washington 9-1 on Saturday to once again return to the Women’s College World Series.

No. 1 Oklahoma softball returned to Marita Hynes Field on Saturday for the second game of their best-of-three Super Regional bout with No. 16 Washington after the Sooners took Game 1 on Friday. A win meant Patty Gasso’s squad would be once again returning to the Women’s College World Series.

Getting the start for Oklahoma was senior Shannon Saile (17-0) who was tremendous working five shutout innings allowing only four hits. Between her performance on Saturday and Nicole May’s on Friday, Sooners pitching had a fantastic weekend.

The Sooners would get the scoring started early with second baseman Tiare Jennings ripping a leadoff double to open the game and then later coming across the plate on a wild pitch. Oklahoma held a 1-0 lead after the opening frame.

After center fielder Jayda Coleman drew a bases loaded walk to score a run in the second, third baseman Jana Johns would come through with one of the big swings of the day in the top of the third. With a runner on second base, Johns pounded a ball over the left field wall for a two-run home run to make the lead 4-0.

The Huskies would get on the board in the bottom of the third off of Saile to cut into the deficit slightly at 4-1, but the Sooners bats would quickly get that run back and then some in the following inning on a pair of home runs.

First came designated player Jocelyn Alo, who hit a two-run laser to right field for her 30th home run of the season.

Two batters later, catcher Kinzie Hansen connected with a solo home run also to right field. Suddenly, Oklahoma was cruising to the tune of a 7-1 lead.

After holding Washington scoreless in the bottom of the fourth, the Sooners would move the game into run-rule territory in the fifth scoring two runs on RBI hits from the pinch-hitting Lynnsie Elam and Alo. Saile would then get the final three outs for the 9-1 run-rule win.

The win moves Oklahoma to 50-2 on the season and punches their ticket back to the WCWS for a fifth consecutive season. This entire year has been a master class in coaching by Gasso and this weekend was no different with the Sooners mostly cruising to two wins over a really good Washington team.

The lone question mark with this juggernaut Oklahoma team has been if they have enough pitching, but in both the Regionals and Super Regionals the Sooners dominated in the circle. They have to be playing with immense confidence going into next week’s bid for a national title.

Oklahoma will now await the winner of the Super Regional bout between No. 9 Missouri and James Madison in the first round of the Women’s College World Series that begins on Thursday in Oklahoma City.

No. 1 Oklahoma opens up Super Regionals with 4-2 win over No. 16 Washington

No. 1 Oklahoma softball held on late to knock off No. 16 Washington 4-2 in the first game of the Super Regionals on Friday afternoon.

No. 1 Oklahoma softball began Super Regional action on Friday afternoon hosting No. 16 Washington at Marita Hynes Field in the first game of their best-of-three weekend set.

While not an elimination game, the first game of the weekend is still understandably massively important to give yourself two cracks at clinching as opposed to needing two straight wins – so the pressure was on for this collision of elite teams.

In a somewhat surprising move, head coach Patty Gasso went to freshman pitcher Nicole May (14-1) to start the game in the circle as opposed to one of the big seniors in Giselle Juarez or Shannon Saile. May has been the best of the bunch in the latter part of the season, so the move seemed warranted and May delivered in a huge way with a complete game performance only allowing two runs to cross.

The Sooners would get the scoring started in the opening frame with second baseman Tiare Jennings leading off the inning with a double and then coming in to score after three Oklahoma batters were hit by pitches. Gasso’s squad held an early 1-0 advantage after the first.

The Huskies would get that run right back in the second inning on a solo home run by left fielder Sami Reynolds over the batters eye in center field. May would respond by retiring the next three batters, a key spot where some other young players may feel the heat of the moment.

The Sooners would then hop back in front in the bottom of the third on a laser home run off the bat of designated player Jocelyn Alo – her 29th of the season. Oklahoma held a 2-1 lead at the end of three innings.

The score would remain there into the fifth inning when catcher Kinzie Hansen would come through with one of the more wild plays you’ll ever see in softball. With one out and a runner on second base, Hansen singled up the middle to score the runner. The ball then got away from Washington center fielder Jadelyn Allchin which allowed Hansen to come allΒ the way around to score. It doesn’t go in the book as an inside-the-park home run, but that is about as close as you’ll ever get.

May would go on to get the final six outs, albeit with allowing a solo home run in the seventh inning, for the complete game victory to give Oklahoma the 4-2 win and a 1-0 series lead with the chance to punch their ticket to the Women’s College World Series on Saturday.

May is undoubtedly the star of the game keeping the Huskies off balance all afternoon long and then weathering the storm late when things got hairy. The offense did there part as well doing enough at the plate putting four runs on the board and providing some needed late cushion. This was an overall very sound performance by the Sooners in a game that always felt like it was in their control despite it being close on the scoreboard.

Oklahoma can now move on to the WCWS on Saturday with a win in Game 2, which is set for 2:00 p.m. CT back at Marita Hynes Field.

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When, where, how to watch Oklahoma take on Washington in NCAA Super Regional

Everything you need to know for No. 1 Oklahoma softball’s Super Regional matchup with No. 16 Washington beginning on Friday afternoon.

No. 1 Oklahoma (48-2) makes their return to Marita Hynes Field this weekend for the Norman Super Regional against No. 16 Washington (45-12) in a best-of-three series with a spot in the Women’s College World Series on the line.

The Sooners were granted the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament after an incredible regular season that saw them put up record-setting offensive numbers all year long. They lived up to that ranking in the Norman Regional a week ago going 3-0 in the round capped off with a 24-7 beat down of Wichita State in the regional final.

Despite that, head coach Patty Gasso has said openly on multiple occasions now that she was unsure why Oklahoma had been given the top seed given their lighter strength of schedule compared to some other top teams – specifically those from the Pac-12.

That segues perfectly to the No. 16 Huskies who were widely viewed as theΒ single most obviously under-seeded team in the entire bracket. They made waves during the selection show by walking out of the room when their draw was revealed, not even staying to see who the remaining teams in their regional were.

Someone who agreed with their disdain was in fact Gasso, who said she supported their form of silent protest and went into further detail about her lack of understanding at what the criteria is for the seeding and pleading for there to be more transparency in the process as a whole.

Simply put, in many people’s minds this a matchup of perhaps an even higher quality than the Super Regionals. These are elite teams that will be clashing in Norman this weekend, as evidenced by the second game of the series being the first everΒ collegiate softball game to be broadcast on ABC.

Oklahoma is looking to clinch their 14th all-time berth in the WCWS and their fifth straight with two wins this weekend over Washington. Tickets for the series are completely sold out for this star-studded matchup of title contenders.

This series will mark the 27th, 28th and (potentially) 29th all-time meetings between the Sooners and the Huskies with Washington holding the slight historical edge 14-12. The two teams have met four of the last five seasons, including three collisions in the WCWS. The Huskies are coached by Heather Tarr in her 17th year with the program.

For this powerhouse Super Regional matchup, here is everything you need to know:

Game 1 – Friday

WHEN:Β  Β 2:00 p.m. CT

WHERE:Β  Β Norman, Oklahoma (Marita Hynes Field)

HOW TO WATCH:Β  Β ESPN2

HOW TO LISTEN:Β  Β Sooner Sports Radio Network – The Franchise 2 103.3 FM/1560 AM; Tune In Radio App (Chris Plank & Destinee Martinez)

Game 2 – Saturday

WHEN:Β  Β 2:00 p.m. CT

WHERE:Β  Β Norman, Oklahoma (Marita Hynes Field)

HOW TO WATCH:Β  Β ABC

HOW TO LISTEN:Β  Β Sooner Sports Radio Network – KRXO 107.7 FM The Franchise in Oklahoma City; KTBZ 1430 AM in Tulsa; Tune In Radio App (Chris Plank & Destinee Martinez)

Game 3 – Sunday (If Necessary)

WHEN:Β  Β 3:00 p.m. CT

WHERE:Β  Β Norman, Oklahoma (Marita Hynes Field)

HOW TO WATCH:Β  Β ESPN

HOW TO LISTEN:Β  Β Sooner Sports Radio Network – KRXO 107.7 FM The Franchise in Oklahoma City; KTBZ 1430 AM in Tulsa; Tune In Radio App (Chris Plank & Destinee Martinez)