All Sooners

OU Softball: No. 1 Oklahoma Rips Hofstra to Open National Title Defense

The Sooners scored early and often to run-rule the Hofstra Pride to open the 2023 NCAA Tournament on Friday.

Ryan Chapman

NORMAN — A balanced attack paced Oklahoma in its NCAA Tournament opener.

The top-seeded Sooners dispatched Hofstra, kicking off their national title defense with a 11-0 victory at Marita Hynes Field on Friday.

Oklahoma moved to a stellar 52-1 on the year, and extend its winning streak to 44 games.

Hofstra dropped to 29-26 and moved within one more loss of seeing its season come to an end.

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"(When it's) time to play that first game you get a good win, you get it done efficiently and effectively, that’s the way you want to start," OU coach Patty Gasso said after the game. "So proud of the way we got everything done quickly and efficiently."

Days after being left out of the top three for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, both Jayda Coleman and Tiare Jennings got off to hot starts.

Coleman drilled a grounder that pulled Hofstra first baseman Angelina Ioppolo off the bag, allowing Coleman to reach safely.

Jennings then smashed the second pitch she saw to the wall, putting a pair of runners in scoring position.

Haley Lee cashed in, barreling down the line for an infield single that plated Coleman, but Alyssa Brito popped up into a double play before OU could do more damage.

Shortstop Grace Lyons then carried over her strong Big 12 Tournament performance into regional play.

Last weekend, Lyons tagged Iowa State for a homer in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals.

Friday, OU’s senior captain rocketed a towering home run in the second inning, bringing home catcher Kinzie Hansen and pushing the lead to 3-0.

Lyons elevating her play at the right time comes a no shock to Gasso, as the star shortstop is enjoying her final tournament run.

“She’s our captain so she’s in the circle and she’s talking,” Gasso said. “Very calm and cool and just, ‘What’s our plan?’ I think she knows this might be her last time on the field for awhile.

“I don’t feel her pressing at all, just really wanting to go out on her terms.”

A passenger on Lyons’ home run, Hansen then added a pair of RBIs herself on a third inning double, putting OU up 5-0.

While the Pride pitching staff struggled to contain the OU offense, Sooner right hander Nicole May dominated.

She started the game by striking out the side, and May never stepped off the gas.

"Nicole’s just always ready and waiting," Gasso said. "So I had zero concerns about putting her on the mound today. 

"Knew that she would start us the right way and she did. Very efficient. Extremely efficient with her pitching today."

Unflappable, May was far from concerned when Hofstra ripped its only hit of the day, a leadoff double in the third inning. 

"“I just feel like it doesn’t matter. It’s like OK, get the next one," May said. "There’s no point in worrying that someone just got a hit. People are gonna hit off of me. So, just (don’t) act surprised when that happens.”

May finished with five strikeouts, allowing just one hit and no walks in four innings of work.

As it has been all year, the defense was also excellent behind May.

Hofstra didn’t force a ton of highlight plays, but the swirling wind at Marita Hynes Field did elevate the level of difficultly on what would typically be routine fly balls.

Well in control of the game, Coleman did more damage in the fifth.

The OU center fielder blasted her 15th long ball of the year, this one a two-run shot to extend the lead to 7-0.

But the Sooners weren’t done.

After Coleman’s bomb, Cydney Sanders and Lee drew back-to-back walks to apply more pressure on Hofstra.

Brito stepped in and delivered, driving OU’s eighth run home with a single.

Hansen then added another two RBIs on a single, capping off her 3-of-3 hitting performance in the contest.

Grace Green accounted for the final run of the game when the Hofstra infield couldn’t track her popup.

In the end, the ball landed safely in the dirt and spun foul, allowing Hansen to score from second to put the Sooners up 11-0.

OU coach Patty Gasso called upon Alex Storako to close out the win in the fifth inning. 

Pitching in her first tournament game in Norman, Storako made quick work of the Pride.

Oklahoma advanced to the winners’ bracket Saturday and will await the victor of California and Missouri.

First pitch for the Sooners’ second game of the Norman Regional is slated for 2 p.m.

Published
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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