Softball Steals Doubleheader at Arkansas

Feb. 20, 2001

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - With two outs in the top of the seventh, the University of Oklahoma softball team came back from a 2-0 deficit to score three runs and sweep Arkansas in front of a record-crowd 833 fans at Lady'Back Yard on Tuesday. The Sooners won by a 3-2 margin after shutting out the Lady'Backs 2-0 in the opener. OU improves to 10-0 while UA falls to 6-5.

The last-chance rally started with UA starting pitcher Heather Schlichtman walking designated player Jaime White (Topeka, Kan.) to bring up LaKisha Washington (Oklahoma City). The senior second baseman, who was 0-for-2 in the game, knocked a ball to the right-field gap for the RBI triple that scored White.

With OU down 2-1, junior Christy Ring (Westminster, Calif.) hit a ball to left center that bounced off centerfielder Stephanie Hunter's glove and rolled to the wall. Washington scored and head coach Patty Gasso sent Ring, who beat the throw back to score the winning run.

Stewart ended all chances of an Arkansas rally by striking out all three batters in the bottom of the seventh to secure OU's win and perfect record. After 4 2/3 innings of work, Stewart allowed only two hits and struck out four.

"I feel very lucky to get away with this win," Gasso said. "We proved that championship teams can't play to their potential and still win games. I thought Jennifer Stewart was absolutely exceptional in both games and our players did a good job of handling adversity."

After committing just one error in the first nine games, the defense haunted Oklahoma in the early innings as it committed three errors in the first three innings. The Lady'Backs scored when catcher Dancia Howlett had an infield single and got home on a fielder's choice by Schlichtman. Shortstop Lauren Hendrix, who reached on a fielder's choice, scored in the third on an RBI-single up the middle by Howlett.

Freshman Adrianne Ratliff (Claremore, Okla.) got the start, but lasted only two and one-third innings after scattering five hits that scored the two runs. Junior Jennifer Stewart (Yukon, Okla.) relieved in the third with bases loaded and forced the two batters into fly balls to get out of the inning.

In the first game, Stewart recorded her first solo shutout of the year. The lefty limited the Lady'Backs to just three hits in the game. She gave up one in each of the first two innings before retiring 15 of the last 17 batters when she hit one in the fifth and gave up a bloop single along the right-field line in the ninth.

Arkansas starter Rachel Talley limited the Sooners early, using her defense to get out nine of the first 12 batters and walking the other three. OU got a pair of hits in the fourth inning when Mandy Fulton (Del City, Okla.) doubled down the left field line. She scored when Erin Evans (Lawton, Okla.) hit a ball to the second baseman, who tried to make the play at the plate, but Fulton beat the throw.

OU managed only two hits in the last three innings. First baseman Lisa Carey (Topeka, Kan.), right fielder Jennifer Stump (West Palm Beach, Fla.) and catcher Ashli Barrett accounted for the other hits.

The Sooners return to action this weekend at the NFCA Leadoff Classic on Feb. 23-25 in Columbus, Ga. They open on Friday against Oregon State at noon and San Diego State at 7:30 p.m.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Softball Steals Doubleheader at Arkansas

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