OU Softball Clinches Big 12 Title

April 29, 2000

NORMAN, Okla. -- - The University of Oklahoma softball team became the 2000 Big 12 Conference regular season champion with an 11-3 win over Kansas today at the OU Softball Complex. Junior Lisa Carey tied school records for home runs (2) and RBIs (7) in a game. The Sooners, who are ranked No. 5 in the country, improve to 54-6 on the season and 16-1 in the conference. Kansas dropped to 30-28 overall and 5-10 in Big 12 play.

OU is guaranteed at least a share of the Big 12 title with today's win. Nebraska is in second place with an 11-2 record and five conference games to play. If the Sooners can complete the weekend sweep tomorrow against KU in their final Big 12 regular season game, they will win the conference crown outright for the second year in a row and for the third time in the conference's five-year history.

Oklahoma scored four runs in the bottom of the first inning on four hits and one Jayhawk error. Leftfielder Christy Ring led off with a single up the middle. In the next at bat, centerfielder Erin Evans reached base on a fielder's choice and then advanced to second as Kansas thirdbaseman Megan Urquhart overthrew second base in an attempt to force Ring out. Carey came to the plate with Evans at second, Ring at third and no outs and drilled a shot over the centerfield fence. The Sooners picked up another run and a 4-0 lead when catcher Ashli Barrett doubled to the wall in center field and was knocked in on another double by designated player Mandy Fulton.

Fulton scored a run of her own in the third as she went deep to right-center field with no runners on base. The long ball was the junior's eighth of the season.

The top of the fourth inning brought a Jayhawk surge. Urquhart went to first on bean ball. Shortstop Christy McPhail reached on a fielder's choice with Urquhart out a second. First baseman Shannon Stanwix reached first base and McPhail moved to third on an error by OU shortstop Kelli Braitsch. Designated player Courtney Wright nailed a homer to right field to give the Kansas its only three runs of the contest.

The Sooners responded in the fifth with four runs of their own. Second baseman LaKisha Washington, who was 2-for-2 on the day, and third baseman Leah Gulla both walked and Ring singled to load the bases. Carey stepped to the plate and blasted her 13th home run of the season, bringing her game RBI total to seven. Carey is now tied with Kelly Thomas (1979) and Tammy Allard (1981) for the school record.

OU invoked the mercy-rule (an eight run lead after five innings) in the bottom of the sixth, scoring two runs for the 11-3 victory. Washington doubled to center field to lead off the inning and came home on a tripled to left-center by Ring. After KU intentionally walked Carey in her fourth at bat, Washington scored on a sacrifice fly by junior Andrea Davis to close out the game.

Sophomore Jennifer Stewart upped her season record to 27-5 with the win. She struck out three and walked only one batter in four innings on the hill. Senior Lana Moran pitched the final two innings of the game retiring the final six batters, two on strikeouts. Senior Sarah Clopton, now 15-12 on the season, took the loss in three-and-one-third innings of work for Kansas. Melanie DeWinter threw the final two-and-one-third innings.

OU and Kansas will take the field at 1 p.m. tomorrow for the Sooners' final home game of the season. The game will be television broadcast by FOX Sports Net, which is cable channel 43 in Norman.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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