OU Softball: Second Inning Explosion Powers Oklahoma Past Mississippi State

All nine of the Sooners' runs came in the second inning as Oklahoma notched its second straight victory over the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Oklahoma closed its portion of the Bulldog Invitational in style on Saturday .

The Sooners scored all of their runs in the second inning, overpowering the Mississippi State Bulldogs 9-3 in Starkville.

OU moved to 20-1 after reeling off win No. 12 in a row, and the Bulldogs fell to 17-7 on the season.

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Before the fireworks truly got rolling in the second inning, it was actually Mississippi State who looked to score first.

Bulldog first baseman Aquana Brownlee drew a two-out walk to load the bases up.

Bahl then battled a full count before striking out Kiersten Landers to escape the first inning scoreless.

If the Bulldogs had any semblance of momentum, the Sooners snatched it right back in the second inning.

Back-to-back-to-back singles from Alynah Torres, Alyssa Brito and Jordy Bahl immediately juiced the bases with no outs, and Jayda Coleman put the first two runs on the board with a single straight back up the middle.

Tiare Jennings then didn’t have to swing the bat for Oklahoma to put another run on the board. A wild pitch saw Jordy Bahl cross home plate, allowing Coleman to advance to second base.

When she did swing the bat, Jennings reaction on a single to put runners on the corners with no outs.

Haley Lee stopped in and delivered the first extra-base hit of the day, plating Coleman and Jennings on a double that put the Sooners up 5-0.

A bobbled ball in the field allowed Kinzie Hansen to reach safely, scoring Lee from third, but a Rylie Boone strikeout gave the Sooners two outs.

Unbothered by the added pressure, Torres registered her second hit of the inning with a double roped down the left field line that brought Hansen home.

Brito then smashed her second homer of the weekend, as her two-run shot capped off the nine-run inning.

Torres took four straight balls with two outs in the third inning to load the bases, but Brito was unable to extend the lead again, striking out to keep the lead at 9-0 headed into the bottom of the third.

Then the Bulldogs struck back.

Bahl issued a pair of walks, including throwing six straight balls, to start the inning.

Chloe Malau'ulu was able to take advantage, looping a ball into center field to score Mississippi State’s first run of the day.

Bahl then gave up another single to load the bases, and Patty Gasso turned to Alex Storako to clean up the mess.

The right-hander retired three of the four batters she faced, but not before giving up another single to cut OU’s advantage to 9-2.

Oklahoma was again unable to capitalize in the fourth inning, stranding Coleman and Jennings after the Sooner center fielder doubled and Jennings reached right after her on a walk, but Storako kept the Bulldog bats quiet.

Storako impressed, striking out six of the 15 batters she faced in four innings while only allowing three hits and surrendering no free bases via walks.

Freshman left-hander Kierston Deal stepped into the circle for Oklahoma to close out the win in the seventh inning.

Deal did allow a solo blast from Mississippi State's Paige Cook, as the Bulldogs got one run back after two quick outs to start the frame. 

The Sooner offense didn’t completely stall after the second inning, but OU struggled to produce with runners on the bases as the game wore on.

Ten runners were stranded by the Sooners after the nine-run explosion early in the game as the Bulldogs were able to limit the damage to the runs allowed in the second inning.

Oklahoma’s final game of the Bulldog Invitational against Omaha on Sunday was cancelled due to the expected weather conditions being poor, but the Sooners worked quickly to find another opponent.

OU will return to action at home on Monday against South Dakota State at Marita Hynes Field in Norman.

First pitch is slated for 6 p.m., and it will serve as a warm up for the Sooners playing host to the No. 5-ranked Florida State Seminoles.


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Ryan Chapman
RYAN CHAPMAN

Ryan is managing editor at Sooners On SI 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.