Tag: Jana Johns

Best photos from Oklahoma’s 7-1 Bedlam win over Oklahoma State on Thursday night

Take a look back at the Oklahoma Sooners’ 7-1 win over Oklahoma State in the first game of their Bedlam series from Thursday night.

In a duel between USA Softball National Player of the Year Top 10 finalists, Jordy Bahl and Kelly Maxwell made the two sides in the opener of the work in the opening frames of Bedlam Thursday night. Bahl and Maxwell kept the offenses at bay through the first two innings of the game.

That changed for the Sooners in the bottom of the third as they began to mount pressure against Oklahoma State pitcher Kelly Maxwell leading to four runs in the bottom of the third. Jordy Bahl took advantage of the run support and continued her excellent true freshman campaign.

In her seven innings pitched, Bahl struck out six Cowgirls and didn’t walk a batter. She attacked all evening, getting ahead of hitters and not allowing Oklahoma State to string together much of an offensive attack.

The Sooners’ offense got going in the third thanks to an RBI single from Jocelyn Alo, followed by a three-run home run by Tiare Jennings. They came through in the clutch, scoring all of their runs with two outs in the frame.

No Sooner collected more than two hits in the game, but they were buoyed by six walks from Maxwell. Oklahoma made Maxwell throw 138 pitches on the evening compared to an efficient 87 for Bahl.

Oklahoma and Oklahoma State will go back to the diamond on Friday night for game two of Bedlam. If the Sooners are able to pull out another victory, they’ll clinch the Big 12 regular-season title for the 10 straight season and 14th time in school history.

Let’s take a look back at the big win from Thursday night in stunning still images.

Jordy Bahl goes 7 innings, Tiare Jennings homers in Oklahoma’s 7-1 win over Oklahoma State

Jordy Bahl dazzled for seven strong innings and the Sooners’ offense took off in the fourth to beat Oklahoma State 7-1 on Thursday night.

The Oklahoma Sooners took the first game in their three-game series with rival Oklahoma State 7-1 on Thursday night behind seven strong innings of work from star true freshman pitcher [autotag]Jordy Bahl[/autotag]. [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] provided a three-run blast and eight of nine Sooners starters reached base in the impressive win over the Cowgirls.

Bahl, in her first Bedlam matchup, put the Sooners one win away from clinching their 10th consecutive Big 12 regular-season title with a complete-game performance. On the evening, she allowed just four hits and one earned run over seven innings. The run came in the fifth inning after Bahl was staked to a 5-0 lead.

[autotag]Jocelyn Alo[/autotag] got the scoring going with an RBI single in the third inning. Later in the frame, Tiare Jennings put Oklahoma ahead in a big way with her three-run home run to give the Sooners a commanding 4-0 lead.

And while Alo and Jennings plated the Sooners’ first runs of the games with their at-bats, it was [autotag]Jana Johns[/autotag]’ work in a 12-pitch at-bat that turned the tide for the Sooners against Oklahoma State ace and National Player of the Year top 10 finalist [autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag].

Oklahoma now sits one game in front of Oklahoma State for the Big 12 regular-season title. With a win on Friday night in the second leg of the series, the Sooners will clinch the Big 12 regular-season title and take the top seed in the Big 12 tournament.

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Oklahoma Sooners take game 2 vs. Texas 9-1 for 31st run-rule win of the season

Led by Alyssa Brito’s two home runs, the Oklahoma Sooners beat Texas 9-1 to improve to 38-0 on the season.

The Oklahoma Sooners took game two of their Red River series in Austin against the Texas Longhorns in run-rule fashion on Friday night. Oklahoma, who won 3-0 on Thursday, were challenged early by the Horns who plated their first run of the series in the second inning to tie the game 1-1.

After Texas tied the game in the bottom of the second, the Sooners outscored the Longhorns 8-0 from the third inning on to move to 38-0.

Nicole May and Hope Trautwein combined to allow just one run on four hits.

[autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag] stole the show at the plate from the No. 9 spot, going 3 for 3 with two home runs and three RBIs on the evening. Those two give her 10 home runs on the season and she’s fifth on the team in home runs behind [autotag]Jocelyn Alo[/autotag], [autotag]Grace Lyons[/autotag], [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag], and [autotag]Lynnsie Elam[/autotag]. Oklahoma now has five players with double-digit home runs on the season.

Up 3-1 heading into the top of the fifth, Brito sparked a six-run inning with her second home run of the night. [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] walked and Jocelyn Alo moved her around to third on a liner off the outfield wall. Grace Lyons brought Jennings home on a squeeze play to make it 5-1. After Jana Johns’ bases-loaded walk made it 6-1, Rylie Boone brought in a couple more with a two-run single to right to make it 8-1. Brito would bookend the scoring run with her third RBI of the evening to make it 9-1 for the Sooners.

Hope Trautwein battled out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the fifth inning to send the Longhorns home early and the Sooners to their 40th consecutive win dating back to last season.

Trautwein’s now lowered her NCAA-leading ERA to 0.11 on the season with another 2.2 scoreless work. The Sooners pitching staff hasn’t allowed more than one run in a game since their March 10 matchup with Baylor in Hawaii, when they allowed three. That’s 21 games in a row with one or fewer runs allowed.

Oklahoma and Texas will close out the series on Saturday at 1 p.m. C.T. The game will be broadcast on the Longhorn Network and can be heard on 107.7 The Franchise in Oklahoma and on the Varsity App.

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Oklahoma Softball: The streak continues as OU run-rules Tulsa

There wasn’t an empty seat in the house at Marita Haynes Field as the Oklahoma Sooners played the Tulsa Golden Hurricane on Wednesday night.

There wasn’t an empty seat in the house at Marita Haynes Field as the Oklahoma Sooners played the Tulsa Golden Hurricane on Wednesday night. The packed ballpark gave the campus a certain buzz when walking by.

It was just another day at the office for the best softball team in the nation as they claimed a 9-0 run-rule victory to improve to a 33-0 record on the season. Wednesday night was their 27th win by run-rule this year.

Sophomore [autotag]Nicole May[/autotag] picked up her tenth win on the season. She struck out six batters while walking three through five innings of work.

The Sooners were less powerful than usual at the plate with just one extra base hit on the evening; a double by [autotag]Lynnsie Elam[/autotag]. However, don’t mistake this for a lackluster hitting performance. Oklahoma didn’t struggle at the plate.

OU’s offense peppered Tulsa for 10 hits in the four innings. Eight different Sooners had an RBI against Tulsa. Jana Johns led the way, bringing in two, both on a fielders choice.

The Sooners were busy on the base paths, with five stolen bases on the night.

With Wednesday’s win, OU tied the program’s best start to a season which was set just last year. They can break the record on Friday night in Lubbock against the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

The 19-16 Red Raiders are coming off a loss to Kansas, but hold a 13-3 record this season when playing at home. They are 2-4 in Big 12 play.

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Jordy Bahl, Jana Johns secure Big 12 weekly softball awards

Oklahoma freshman Jordy Bahl and redshirt senior Jana Johns swept the Big 12 weekly softball awards.

For the second time in the season’s first three weeks, Oklahoma softball swept the Big 12 weekly awards. Freshman pitcher Jordy Bahl was named Big 12 Pitcher of the Week for a second time and redshirt senior Jana Johns was named Big 12 Player of the Week.

Bahl threw a perfect game against Cal State Fullerton that was highlighted by her 11 strikeouts. In the process, Bahl became the first Sooner freshman to throw a perfect game since Paige Parker in 2015. Then, against No. 17 Tennessee, Bahl struck out 16 in 8.1 innings to match the most strikeouts by a Sooner pitcher since Giselle Juarez struck out 16 versus Wisconsin in the NCAA Norman Regional in 2019.

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The Papillion, Neb., right-hander finished her stay in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic with 31 strikeouts, a 2-0 record, a 1.62 ERA and a .121 opponent batting average.

It’s Johns’ first Big 12 weekly award of her career. During OU’s 5-0 march through the Mary Nutter Classic, Johns hit four home runs and registered nine RBIs. The Calhoun, Ga., product hit a pair of homers and had 3 RBIs in the Sooners’ 9-8 win in 10 innings over the Vols. Johns finished the Mary Nutter Classic with a .429 batting average over the tournament’s five games.

On Feb. 15, Oklahoma sophomore Tiare Jennings was named the Big 12 Player of the Week and Bahl earned Pitcher of the Week. Then, on Feb. 22, OU redshirt senior Jocelyn Alo was named Big 12 Player of the Week and fellow redshirt senior Hope Trautwein shared Big 12 Pitcher of the Week honors with Oklahoma State’s Kelly Maxwell.

The Sooners have a rare weekend off before playing host to Minnesota on Monday, March 7, for their home opener at Marita Hynes Field at 5 p.m. After the home date against the Golden Gophers, Oklahoma heads to Honolulu, Hawaii, to take part in the Rainbow Wahine Classic.

The Sooners will play Baylor on March 10 at 7:30 p.m., Cal on Mach 11 at 7:30 p.m. and then Hawaii on March 11 at 10 p.m. and on March 12 at 4 p.m.

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Jayda Coleman’s walkoff home run give OU the 9-8 win over Tennessee

In their toughest matchup of the season, Jayda Coleman helped the Oklahoma Sooners stay perfect on the season with her walk off home run.

In a game that was filled with drama throughout, the Oklahoma Sooners fought through adversity to get the win in 10 innings over the Tennessee Volunteers.

Trailing in the bottom of the 10th with one on and two out, Jayda Coleman stepped up with the heroics, launching a ball over the left field fence for the two-run walk-off home run.

In a game where the Sooners pitching staff met their toughest challenge of the season, the Sooners offense continued to keep Oklahoma in it.

The Sooners jumped out to a 3-0 nothing lead in the top of the first, looking like every other game this season. After adding one more in the third, the Sooners looked to be in control as freshman Jordy Bahl was dealing.

Tennessee got on the board in the fourth and then did some real damage in the top of the fifth, plating three runs to tie the game. Oklahoma would retake the lead in the bottom half of the fifth inning.

After a scoreless sixth inning, Tennessee would get their first lead of the day in the top of the seventh and OU would tie sending it to extra innings.

In the extra frames, Tennessee took the lead in the top of the ninth and tenth. OU would tie the game in the ninth before winning it on Coleman’s blast in the bottom of the tenth.

Coleman was 3 for 5 on the afternoon with the home run and two RBIs. Grace Lyons was 2 for 5 with a home run and two RBIs and Jana Johns was 2 for 4 with two home runs and four RBIs.

After a run-rule win in their matchup with No. 8/10 Arizona in the first game of their Saturday double-header, the afternoon affair was much more dramatic. The Sooners are now 14-0 and will close out the Mary Nutter Classic with an 11 a.m. matchup with Utah.

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Opposition between a rock and a hard place when facing Oklahoma lineup

The Oklahoma Sooners are off to a torrid pace in 2022 putting pressure on opposing pitchers up and down the lineup.

Oklahoma’s Jocelyn Alo is on a tear to start the 2022 season with seven home runs in 37 plate appearances. Tied with Lauren Chamberlain for the NCAA all-time home run record, Alo will likely set the new standard this weekend and put it far out of reach for any home run challengers. Her start has been incredible and there’s not much the opposition can do about it.

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The lineup the Oklahoma Sooners are rolling out has hitting depth up and down the order. With Alo typically hitting second in the order, leadoff hitter Tiare Jennings gets a boost as teams have to pitch aggressively to her in order to try and get an out before Alo comes to the plate. And Jennings is making teams pay.

The sophomore out of San Pedro, Calif. is hitting .440 with five home runs and 15 RBIs on the season. She’s second to Alo in just about every offensive category, building off of a tremendous freshman campaign that saw her win freshman of the year honors in 2021.

And as Alo continues to set a new standard for power hitting, she’s also getting the added benefit of a lineup that’s producing behind her.

To start the season, the most typical lineup Patty Gasso was rolling out had Jennings batting leadoff, Alo hitting second, and catcher Kinzie Hansen hitting third. Since the opening week, there’s been a bit more variation but wherever Alo hits, there’s a player hitting behind her that’s having a nice start to the season as well.

Hansen’s hitting .440 with two home runs and six RBIs. Jana Johns spent much of the Houston Classic batting behind Alo is hitting .400 with three home runs and 10 RBIs. Jayda Coleman has worked her way up in the lineup and is hitting .348 with eight RBIs and an on base percentage of .515.

Grace Lyons, who’s hit clean up for the Sooners for much of 2022, is hitting .440 with two home runs and seven RBIs.

There isn’t an easy out in the Oklahoma Sooners lineup. The Sooners put constant pressure on opposing pitchers as they attempt to work through a lineup that returned much of their record-setting 2021 team.

As the Oklahoma Sooners look to defend their national championship, they’ve gotten off to a hot 10-0 start. The numbers really speak for themselves.

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Jordy Bahl fans 14, Oklahoma softball makes statement in win over No. 3 UCLA

Freshman pitcher Jordy Bahl struck out 14 UCLA hitters and the Sooners topped the No. 3 Bruins, 4-1.

In a battle of two of the sport’s titans, No. 1 Oklahoma delivered a statement to the college softball world that the defending champions are every bit as good as 2021. In fact, the Sooners might be better.

OU topped No. 3 UCLA, 4-1, in the Mark Campbell Invitational in Irvine, Calif., as freshman pitcher Jordy Bahl baffled Bruins’ bats. Bahl struck out 14 UCLA batters, demonstrating that OU has found its new ace.

It was the most strikeouts by a Sooner pitcher since Giselle Juarez sat down 16 against Wisconsin in the Norman Regional in 2019 and the most by a Sooner freshman since Keilani Ricketts struck out 15 versus Texas A&M on April 10, 2010.

Bahl secured her second win of the season and now has 24 strikeouts in 12.2 innings.

Oklahoma head softball coach Patty Gasso shared some thoughts on Bahl’s performance against one of the country’s best teams afterwards. Eyes On Oklahoma newsletter and podcast host Joe Buettner shared Gasso’s postgame sentiments.

“For a freshman, just off the charts. I just think about it, when I look at her, I think about the future. But if you saw the kind of work that she puts in, she came in ready. She came in fit. She came in with all the tools and she’s just a workaholic. She works her tail off. She doesn’t take a day off,” Gasso said.

“She’s been training to compete at a whole other level and never do I think, ‘Okay, she’s struggling, let’s get her out.’ Even after some of those illegal pitches, didn’t really faze her. She just figured [it out]. I mean, just back to her drive. We got something special and I felt that this game—although it’s only our fourth game of the season—it just took her to another place of understanding about how this level and this elite game of what it feels like. So, it was really important for her to feel that.”

With Bahl surrendering just four hits, three walks and one unearned run, Oklahoma’s offense wasn’t pressed to score runs. OU did jump in front first during the second inning when senior Taylon Snow delivered an RBI single to score senior Jana Johns.

Then, after UCLA had tied it following an Oklahoma throwing error in the third, the Sooners answered right back. A hit by pitch to senior Grace Lyons and Johns’ second hit of the game set the stage for a two-run response. Junior Mackenzie Donihoo scorched an RBI single up the middle to score Lyons and senior Lynnsie Elam added an infield single to score Johns.

OU added an insurance run in the sixth after three Bruins errors allowed pinch runner Hannah Coor advance home to deliver the winning margin of 4-1.

To date, Oklahoma has outscored its opposition 32-1 while racing out to a perfect 4-0 start. Oklahoma concludes its play in the Mark Campbell Invitational on Sunday at 1 p.m. when the Sooners battle UC-San Diego.

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