Tag: Mary Nutter Classic

Oklahoma Sooners send a message to the rest of the softball world with 14-0 win over UCLA

With their 14-0 win over the UCLA Bruins, the Oklahoma Sooners sent a message to the rest of the collegiate softball world. They’re still Oklahoma.

Oklahoma’s loss to the Baylor Bears sent shockwaves throughout the world of collegiate softball. It was a stunning upset that had some of the Women’s College World Series contenders smelling the blood in the water.

Well a week later, everyone was reminded why the NCAA national championship runs through Norman, Oklahoma.

The two-time defending national champion Oklahoma Sooners arrived to the Mary Nutter Classic with a mission. With a five-game sweep that included four run-rule wins, three shutouts, and a run differential of plus-46, Oklahoma sent a message.

No win was more impressive than their 14-0 win over the UCLA Bruins, the team that was voted the No. 1 team in the nation after the Sooners’ loss to Baylor. UCLA had played good softball to this point and picked up some impressive wins of their own over top 25 opponents Alabama, Virginia, Tech, Florida, Northwestern, Kentucky, and Florida State.

The win over Florida was a dominant no-hit, run-rule win on Thursday to open the Mary Nutter Classic. Florida went into the matchup as the No. 3 team in the nation.

That’s how dominant Oklahoma’s win over UCLA was. It was an incredible performance from start to finish as the Sooners opened the game loading the bases against Megan Faraimo, who threw the no-hitter against the Gators. The Sooners didn’t score in the first, but they showed they were going to be a force to be reckoned with on Sunday afternoon.

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After the scoreless first, Oklahoma scored six runs in the second on the backs of four home runs. Each of the home runs came with two outs in the inning. Once Oklahoma broke through, it felt like a weight was lifted off their shoulders, and they took over from there.

Naturally, there’s a ton of pressure that comes with being the defending national champions and the preseason No. 1 team in the nation. After losing to Baylor, Oklahoma traveled to California locked in, confident, and ready to play free and easy softball.

Going into the Sunday matchup with UCLA, it felt like it was going to be a classic between the two top squads in the country. But Oklahoma came out on fire in this one and left no doubt as to which team was the best in the country.

The Sooners made a huge statement. Still figuring out life without Jocelyn Alo, the Oklahoma Sooners proved to themselves that they are the team that people thought they were. They are the best team in the nation, and they can win big games without the all-time home run queen.

Check out the best photos from Sunday’s win over UCLA.

 

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.

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Sooners offense rolling but still has room for improvement

The Oklahoma Sooners’ offense has been really good through the first few weeks of the season, but they still have room to improve.

Sometimes a good team just runs into a good pitcher, and that can make all the difference. That’s what happened a week ago in Waco against the Baylor Bears, but that one-run loss hasn’t slowed down the defending national champion.

In the Mary Nutter Classic, the Oklahoma Sooners have continued their torrid offensive pace. They’ve scored 36 runs in four games, averaging nine runs per game. On the season, they’re averaging 8.38 runs per game.

The Sooners are getting contributions from up and down the lineup this season.

Oklahoma has nine players hitting better than .300 on the season and four better than .400. True Freshman [autotag]Jocelyn Erickson[/autotag] has made a seamless transition to the collegiate game. Erickson’s leading the team in hitting with a .560 batting average, five home runs, and 21 RBIs.

The Sooners’ offense has been really good to start the season, and still, it can be better. [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] hasn’t fully found her stride yet. She didn’t register a hit in Friday’s wins over Cal State Fullerton and Texas A&M but went 3 for 5 against Utah and Loyola Marymount on Saturday. She had a home run, two RBIs, and three runs scored on day two of the Mary Nutter Classic.

Arizona State transfer and national freshman of the year finalist [autotag]Cydney Sanders[/autotag] hasn’t really gotten going yet. She’s hitting just .222 on the season and hasn’t hit a home run yet. Last year for Arizona State, Sanders hit .425 with 21 home runs and 63 RBIs. She’s going to get going soon. Hopefully on Sunday against UCLA.

[autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag]’s return has provided a boost this weekend. Though she’s hitting just .222, Hansen has an RBI in four straight games. Her leadership and experience at the plate will be huge for the Sooners when they face their most formidable opponent of the season to close out the weekend.

The Sooners will close out the Mary Nutter Classic in a finale against the No. 1 UCLA Bruins on Sunday. UCLA has been fantastic this season, especially from the circle, where they have a team ERA of 0.97. The Bruins offer the Sooners their stiffest challenge to date, but if the bats get hot, Oklahoma will be tough to beat.

Check out the best photos from the first two days at the Mary Nutter Classic.

Sooners complete the Friday sweep with 8-0 shutout of Texas A&M

The Oklahoma Sooners got another strong performance from Nicole May in their 8-0 win over the Texas A&M Aggies on Friday.

The Oklahoma Sooners started the [autotag]Mary Nutter Classic[/autotag] off with a bang on Friday, completing the two-game sweep with an 8-0 win over Texas A&M. It was the second run-rule win of the day after defeating Cal State Fullerton 8-0 in the early game.

[autotag]Nicole May[/autotag] continued her scoreless streak to start the 2023 season with four shutout innings against the Aggies. Though she allowed five hits, a walk, and hit a batter, she was able to work around some jams with five strikeouts. May’s pitched 19.1 innings without allowing a run in 2023.

May had to go to work in the top of the first as the Aggies picked up three straight hits to open the game. And then May shut them down. With the bases loaded and no outs, she struck out the next three batters she faced to end the threat.

Oklahoma took control of the game in the bottom of the first, taking advantage of a wild pitch and a couple of two-out errors by the Aggies defense.

[autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag], who got her first start behind the plate, opened the scoring, with an RBI fielder’s choice to drive in [autotag]Grace Lyons[/autotag]. It was her second RBI of the day after making her debut as a pinch hitter against Cal State Fullerton. [autotag]Haley Lee[/autotag] reached on an error before [autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag] drove Hansen in to make it 2-0. Oklahoma then put two more across the plate as [autotag]Rylie Boone[/autotag] reached on an error to make it 4-0.

Though May had to work around a couple of jams in the third and fourth, the Sooners’ offense provided enough offense to take care of their starter.

Oklahoma added four more runs in the bottom of the third, powered by [autotag]Jocelyn Erickson[/autotag]’s fifth home run of the season. She came in to pinch-hit for [autotag]Cydney Sanders[/autotag] and launched a three-run home run to make it 8-0.

Erickson leads Oklahoma with her five home runs, 17 RBIs, and a batting average of .579. Only two other Sooners have multiple home runs through the first 11 games, [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag] and [autotag]Sophia Nugent[/autotag]. Erickson’s proving the moment isn’t too big for her in her young career and will continue to get opportunities to make an impact in a deep Oklahoma Sooners’ lineup.

Now 10-1 on the season with seven run-rule wins, the Sooners will face Loyola Marymount and Utah on Saturday. Then comes the clash of the titans with the Sooners facing the No. 1 UCLA Bruins on Sunday.

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Oklahoma Sooners bounce back with run rule win over Cal State Fullerton

Rylie Boone led the way at the plate and in the field as the Sooners got back on the wining side of things with an 8-0 win over Cal State Fullerton.

The Oklahoma Sooners took game one of the [autotag]Mary Nutter Classic[/autotag] with their sixth run-rule win of the season, an 8-0 victory over Cal State Fullerton. The Sooners moved to 9-1 on the season with the win in the first of two Friday games out in California.

Alex Storako got the start and threw four scoreless innings, striking out four and allowing just two hits and a walk to move to 3-0 on the season. [autotag]Rylie Boone[/autotag] and [autotag]Sophia Nugent[/autotag] led the way. Each had home runs and three RBIs. Boone was the only player to record multiple hits in the win, going 2 for 3 with the home run, 3 RBIs, and two runs scored.

The Sooners got the scoring started in the bottom of the first. [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] walked to open the game, and [autotag]Grace Lyons[/autotag], hitting from the two-hole, drove her in with a double.

Oklahoma broke it open in the bottom of the second as [autotag]Haley Lee[/autotag] and [autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag] started it off with back-to-back walks. [autotag]Rylie Boone[/autotag] singled to drive Lee in from second, and Nugent cleared the bases with a three-run home run to make it 5-0.

Cal State Fullerton looked like they were going to get on the board with one out in the second. With two on and one out, Hannah Becer singled to left field and Antuanett De attempted to score from second, but Rylie Boone came up firing to Nugent to make the play at the plate. Daisy Munoz fouled out to first to end the scoring threat, and that’s as close as they got to scoring on the afternoon.

Oklahoma got three more in the bottom of the fourth to create the run-rule opportunity, and [autotag]Jordy Bahl[/autotag] pitched a scoreless fifth inning to close the game.

[autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag] made her 2023 debut with a pinch-hit RBI double in the fourth.

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‘I don’t want them to feel that kind of pressure’: Patty Gasso taking a big picture approach

As the Oklahoma Sooners get set for action in the Mary Nutter Classic, Head Coach Patty Gasso wants her squad to “play free and confident.”

The Oklahoma Sooners head into the Mary Nutter Classic coming off of their first loss of the season, a 4-3 defeat to the Baylor Bears. They had their opportunities against Dariana Orme and Ailyah Binford but left a number of runners on base.

The Baylor loss was a bummer, but it shouldn’t erase what they did on opening weekend when they picked up three top 25 wins.

And Patty Gasso doesn’t want her squad to feel like they have to respond this weekend with a statement series in California.

“It’s the journey, the process,” Gasso said when meeting with the media earlier this week. “We could end up losing two or three games this weekend, and we’re still going to be OK. We play over 60 games. I don’t want them to feel that kind of pressure. I want them to learn how to play free and confident and not be worried about the outcomes. Because that’s when the problems come in when you’re afraid.

“So there’s no panic and there’s no ‘we have to do anything.’ We don’t have to until we get down to the very end, and if you don’t then you’re going home. It’s just staying with that mindset that we have.”

The way the Oklahoma Sooners have played over the last two seasons have created sky-high expectations. But Coach Gasso’s been around the game long enough to know it’s a long season. The Sooners haven’t even played 10 games yet this year. With the number of transfers Oklahoma added and the loss of Jocelyn Alo, this team is still working through what they have on the roster.

When this team is playing at its best, they’re playing loose and having fun. And that’s what the Sooners hope to get back to when they open the Mary Nutter Classic against Cal State Fullerton on Friday.

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Oklahoma remains undefeated with 2-1 win over Utah to close out the Mary Nutter Classic

Hope Trautwein and Jordy Bahl combine for a two-hitter as the Oklahoma Sooners stayed undefeated with a 2-1 win over the Utah Utes.

The Oklahoma Sooners completed another perfect weekend, beating the Utah Utes 2-1 in the finale of the Mary Nutter Classic. The Sooners are now 15-0 on the season and have faced and overcome some adversity along the way.

Not every win is going to be a run-rule performance, but the Sooners have found ways to win in their last two, including this matchup against the Utes.

Utah took a 1-0 lead in the third inning

The Oklahoma Sooners struggled for the most part against Utah’s pitching and when the Sooners started to get things going, the Utes got some timely defensive play to keep the game from breaking open.

Utah pitchers Sydney Sandez and Halle Morris combined to allow just five hits and two walks on the day and got some timely defense behind them. With the Sooners threatening to extend their lead in the bottom of the fifth, they had runners on first and second with nobody out.

Tiare Jennings hit it right at third baseman Julia Jimenez who was guarding the line to protect against the extra-base hit. After fielding the ball, Jimenez quickly stepped on the bag before throwing to second where Aliya Belarde got the second out and threw to first to complete the triple play.

In the following inning, the Sooners again looked to extend their 2-1 lead, and yet again, it was Julia Jimenez making the defensive play to get the Utes out of the jam. With runners on second and third and one out, Jimenez caught a line drive before it hit the ground and stepped on third to end the threat.

Hope Trautwein gave up one earned run on two hits in four innings of work before giving way to Jordy Bahl who threw three perfect innings to close out the game for Oklahoma.

After dominating at the plate for much of the weekend, the top four hitters in the Sooners lineup were a combined 2 for 9 with two walks and two strikeouts.

Oklahoma returns to Norman for a break before their home opener against the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Monday, Mar. 7 at 5 p.m. CT.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

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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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Oklahoma Sooners sweep day one of Mary Nutter Classic with 11-3 win over Long Beach State

The Oklahoma Sooners improved to 12-0 on the season with a win over Long Beach State led by Kinzie Hansen, Grace Lyons, and Alyssa Brito.

The No. 1 ranked Oklahoma Sooners improved to 12-0 on the season with an 11-3 run rule win over Long Beach State on day one of the Mary Nutter Classic in California.

After Jordy Bahl’s perfect game in a 10-0 win against Cal-State Fullerton, the Sooners got a bit more of a challenge from Long Beach State who notched the first earned run of the season off of a Sooners pitcher in the three-run third inning.

Hope Trautwein hadn’t allowed an earned run coming into the game got into some trouble in the bottom third inning allowing three runs (two unearned) cutting the Sooners lead to 6-3. Nicole May entered the game to get the Sooners out of a jam and pitched 2.1 scoreless innings, allowing two hits to close out the game.

Oklahoma responded in the top of the fourth thanks to Alyssa Brito’s base-clearing triple that drove in three runs to make it 9-3. They added another one later in the inning to go into the bottom of the fourth up 10-3. Oklahoma would add another run in the top of the fifth and May finished it off in the bottom of the fifth for the Sooners run-rule win.

At the plate, Kinzie Hansen and Grace Lyons hit home runs as the Sooners continued their offensive tear to start the season.

The Oklahoma Sooners will play two games on Saturday, first against No. 8/10 Arizona at 12 p.m. CT and then No. 17/17 Tennessee at 2:30 p.m. CT. They’ll close out the weekend series at 11 a.m. on against Utah on Sunday.

Here’s how you can watch or listen to the Oklahoma Sooners as they look to stay unbeaten and as Jocelyn Alo attempts to break the NCAA all-time home run record.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

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Notre Dame’s Sweet Named ACC Player of the Week

Playing at the Mary Nutter Classic in Palm Springs, California, Sweet recorded 10 hits, six runs, eight RBI and a home run in six contests.

Notre Dame softball centerfielder Abby Sweet (junior, Hart High School/Newhall, California) was named the ACC Player of the Week for her efforts this weekend that helped the Irish to a 3-3 mark and included an upset win over No. 16 Arizona State.

Playing at the Mary Nutter Classic in Palm Springs, California, Sweet recorded 10 hits, six runs, eight RBI and a home run in six contests.  She also slugged a remarkable .850 while totaling 17 bases, hitting four doubles and stealing four bases in four tries.

Notre Dame sits with a 10-5 overall record and will travel to Duke this weekend for three games against the Blue Devils to kickoff ACC competition.  The Irish ranked third in the Pre-Season ACC Coaches Poll that was released in late January.