Jordy Bahl locked in after allowing a first inning home run, and Cydney Sanders continued her hot run going 3-for-5 with a three-run home run, in Oklahoma’s 8-3 win over Oklahoma State.
The Oklahoma Sooners took advantage of a tight strike zone against Oklahoma State Cowgirls ace [autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag] to get on the board in the top of the first.
[autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] walked, and [autotag]Cydney Sanders[/autotag] moved her to second with a single. With two outs in the inning, [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag] and [autotag]Haley Lee[/autotag] earned back-to-back walks to bring Jennings in to take a 1-0 lead.
However, that 1-0 lead was shortlived as the Cowgirls put pressure on Jordy Bahl in the bottom half of the inning. Oklahoma State’s [autotag]Rachel Becker[/autotag] led off with a walk, and [autotag]Kiley Naomi[/autotag] earned a one-out walk to put two on for outfielder Cheyenne Factor. Factor took the first pitch she saw from Jordy Bahl and launched it to left center to give the Cowgirls a 3-1 lead.
[autotag]Katelynn Carwile[/autotag] earned a two-out walk, a third of the inning for Bahl, and [autotag]Morgyn Wynne[/autotag] followed that with a double to put runners on second and third. Bahl locked in and struck out Taylor Tuck on three pitches to end the threat.
The Sooners came out strong in the top of the first in an effort to reassert their first inning lead. Rylie Boone led off with a walk, and [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] was hit by a pitch following Sophia Nugent’s strikeout. After a fielder’s choice by Tiare Jennings moved Boone to third, Coleman was put out at second, leaving runners on first and third with two outs.
Continuing to trend in a positive direction for the Sooners, sophomore Cydney Sanders took a 2-0 offering to right center field to give the Sooners a 4-3 lead and they wouldn’t look back.
Bahl responded from her difficult first inning to shut the door with the help of some excellent defense from the Sooners. The sophomore pitcher allowed just four base runners the rest of the way.
Alynah Torres provided an insurance run in the fifth inning and Oklahoma added a run in the sixth on Alyssa Brito’s team-tying 13th home run of the season. But Oklahoma wasn’t done there, putting a pair of runs across the plate in the seventh to put the game out of reach for the Cowgirls with the way Bahl was pitching.
Jordy Bahl struck out eight in the complete game effort, scattering five hits, four walks, and a hit by pitch across her seven innings of work. The first inning home run was the first run allowed for the USA Softball National Player of the Year finalist since March 31 vs. Texas. Bahl improved to 15-1 on the season and her ERA is sitting at 1.19.
Cydney Sanders continued her hot stretch of the season, posting a 3-for-5 effort with the three-run home run and a run score. Back on April 1 against Texas, Sanders’ batting average dropped to .214 on the season. She’s raised it to .294 over the last five weeks, batting .400 with four home runs, 12 RBIs, and 11 runs scored.
In addition to the offensive outburst from Sanders and Brito, the two combined for an incredible defensive effort in the bottom of the fourth.
The Oklahoma Sooners extended their winning streak to 39 games and are now 16-0 in Big 12 play and 47-1 on the season. Game two of the series can be seen on ESPN on Saturday at 4 p.m. CT.
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