All Sooners

Oklahoma Softball: OU Continues Perfect Season With Run Rule Victory Over Tulsa

The Sooners advanced to 33-0 on the year with their 27th run rule victory of the season on Wednesday night.

Ryan Chapman

NORMAN — For the second straight season, Oklahoma is 33-0.

The No. 1-ranked Sooners dispatched of the Tulsa Golden Hurricane on Wednesday 9-0 in five innings at Marita Hynes Field.

OU’s victory over Tulsa (12-23-1) was the Sooners’ 27th run rule win this season.

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Though the offense put another huge number on the scoreboard, the Sooners overpowered the Golden Hurricane with a steady assault.

Taylon Snow returned to the lineup to open up the scoring with a sacrifice in the first inning.

But as Tiare Jennings crossed home plate, the standout second baseman’s cleat skidded across home plate and Jennings stumbled. The reigning NFCA Freshman of the Year walked to the dugout under her own power and returned to play the field in the top of the second inning, but Gasso replaced her in the third inning as a precaution.

“A little uncomfortable with how that felt,” Oklahoma head coach Patty Gasso said after the game. “She went out on the field and we both talked and said this just doesn’t make sense if we’re going into conference (this weekend). So we sat her out.

“They iced, got a brace on it here and we’re just going to keep it light until we get back on the field on Friday.”

Even without Jennings, the OU offense rolled on.

Jana Johns laid down a sacrifice bunt in the bottom of the second inning to bring home Jayda Coleman and double the lead in the bottom of the second, kicking off a three-run inning.

“We knew going in that this was going to be a rough night just wind-wise and the way the wind was turning,” Gasso said. “So the decision was made that we were going to become more aggressive. We wanted to show that we’re more than just a one-dimensional, we hit home runs and that’s all we do (offense).

“I looked down the lineup and every player had something to do with scoring a run, getting ahead, finding a way on. We had our five stolen bases, we just kept putting runners in motion.”

Alyssa Brito, who entered the lineup to replace Jennings, made an immediate impact. She extended the OU advantage to 3-0 with an RBI-single, advancing Rylie Boone to third and bringing Jocelyn Alo up to the plate.

Despite having 104-career home runs to her name, the Sooner slugger laid down a sacrifice bunt herself, plating Boone before getting thrown out at first base.

“If you watch her in practice, she’s an excellent bunter,” Gasso said. “And usually really big hitters are usually pretty good bunters because they just see the ball so well.

“… We had already talked that we are going to bunt for a hit before she’s done. So I know she’s not counting this.”

The Sooner offense did more damage in the third inning.

After Snow and Lynnsie Elam had already reached base with a single and a double respectively, Jayda Coleman drove in Snow with an RBI-single.

Kinzie Hansen appeared to have hit into a fielder’s choice which scored Elam in the next at-bat, but Tulsa first baseman Kylie Norwood dropped the ball at the bag and Hansen was able to reach safely while extending the lead to 6-0.

Hannah Coor was then called upon to pinch run for Hansen, and the freshman immediately put pressure on the Golden Hurricane defense.

Johns bagged her second RBI of the day after she hit the ball at the Tulsa shortstop, scoring Boone and advancing Coor all the way to third base. In the next at-bat, Boone hit a grounder at the third baseman, but Coor’s jump was too strong and she was able to slide in under the tag at home plate safely to give OU the 8-0 lead

Left fielder Mackenzie Donihoo closed out the scoring with a sacrifice fly to deep-right field in the bottom of the fourth inning, bringing Grace Lyons home.

Brito and Coleman both finished a perfect 2-of-2 from the plate on Wednesday as the nation’s most potent lineup showed no signs of a slump after UAB held Oklahoma to just two runs last Saturday.

While the Oklahoma offense rolled, Nicole May delivered another strong performance in the circle for OU.

The sophomore shut out the Golden Hurricane, striking out six batters and only allowing three hits in five innings of work.

With the win, May moved to 10-0 on the year, and she’s now fanned 65 batters across the 49 innings she’s pitched this year.

May’s been a lot more steady in 2022 after flashing incredible highs last year, something which she credited to an evolving mental game.

“I think it’s coming in with a different mindset,” May said after the game. “Like coming into today knowing, ‘okay, today I’m starting,’ versus previously it’s like, ‘okay, I’m coming in the sixth or seventh inning.’

“So I feel like I have different mentalities for the situation.”

OU will now turn its attention back to Big 12 play this weekend.

Oklahoma hits the road to Lubbock for a three-game set against the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

Game 1 is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. on Friday night, and the contest will be streamed on ESPN+. 

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Ryan Chapman
RYAN CHAPMAN

Ryan is deputy editor at AllSooners and covers a number of sports in and around Norman and Oklahoma City. Working both as a journalist and a sports talk radio host, Ryan has covered the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the United States Men’s National Soccer Team, the Oklahoma City Energy and more. Since 2019, Ryan has simultaneously pursued a career as both a writer and a sports talk radio host, working for the Flagship for Oklahoma sports, 107.7 The Franchise, as well as AllSooners.com. Ryan serves as a contributor to The Franchise’s website, TheFranchiseOK.com, which was recognized as having the “Best Website” in 2022 by the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters. Ryan holds an associate’s degree in Journalism from Oklahoma City Community College in Oklahoma City, OK. 

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