OU Softball Opens With 3-0 Start

Feb. 9, 2001

ARLINGTON, Texas - The University of Oklahoma softball team blazed through its opening day, defeating Louisiana Tech 3-1 and Kentucky 10-1 before closing out the day with a 6-3 win over Brigham Young during the first day of the Texas-Arlington/Isuzu Classic. The 18-team tournament is being played at Mike Lewis and Cottonwood Parks.

Sophomore Kelli Braitsch (Broken Arrow, Okla.) led the Sooners with a 6-for-7 performance on the day that included a double, two home runs and three RBIs. She also added a stolen base and walked twice.

The Sooners scored first against Louisiana Tech with a home run by senior Lisa Carey (Topeka, Kan.). The returning All-American picked up where she left off last year with a solo shot to left center in her first at-bat of the year. After the Lady Techsters tied the game with another homerun in the third, the Sooners broke the tie with back-to-back lead-off homers from Jennifer Stump (West Palm Beach, Fla.) and Braitsch in the fifth.

Left-handed pitcher Jennifer Stewart (Yukon, Okla.) got the complete-game win after giving up only four hits while striking out five.

OU needed only five innings to run-rule Kentucky in the 10-1 win. After scoring a run in the first, the Sooners scored nine runs on eight hits to close out the game. Braitsch started the inning with a solo shot over the center field wall and the Sooners put its next seven batters on base before the Wildcats recorded an out. With the bases loaded, senior Ashli Barrett (Oklahoma City) cleaned up the bases with a grand slam out to center field.

Freshman Adrianne Ratliff (Claremore, Okla.) was successful in her college debut, holding Kentucky to just one run off five hits in five innings of work.

In the night cap, BYU took a quick 1-0 lead with two hits and a stolen base in the first inning. OU evened it up in the second and used a four-run third to take control of the game. After Erin Evans (Lawton, Okla.) and Carey singled, Andrea Davis (West Jordan, Utah) walked to load the bases. Stump hit an RBI single through the left side to score one run. With the bases loaded, BYU's pitcher, Meghann Pricer, walked the next three batters to give OU the 5-1 lead.

Oklahoma scored again in the sixth when relief pitcher Maryon DeWitt-Wallentine loaded up the bases and walked in the final run.

Carey and Braitsch each had three hits against the Cougars, while Evans added another pair. Stewart improved her record to 2-0 after holding the Cougars to three runs on seven hits.

The three wins secured OU the top seed in its pool. Oklahoma will begin bracket play on Saturday where it now needs only four wins for the title. OU will play the winner of the fourth place finishers from Pools B and D at 3:45 p.m. Win or lose, OU will play again at 6 p.m. The championship game is slated for noon on Sunday.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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