Softball Drops Title Game to No. 2 Arizona

March 4, 2001

TUCSON, Ariz. - Second-ranked Arizona exacted some revenge on the fifth-ranked Oklahoma softball team in front of 2,751 fans with a 6-2 win over the Sooners in the championship game of the Hillenbrand Invitational. UA's last loss was a 1-0 shutout by OU in the 2000 Women's College World Series. The Sooners (17-3) finished second to the host `Cats after going 4-1 in the tournament.

The crowd at Hillenbrand Stadium was the second-largest in school history.

Arizona (27-0) took advantage of freshman starter Adrianne Ratliff (7-2), getting all six runs on two-run homers with two outs. First baseman Leneah Manuma was responsible for four of the runs with a shot out to right in the first inning and then another to left field in the third. Designated hitter Kim Balkan provided the third round-tripper with a ball out to left-center in the fourth.

Ratliff gave up six runs (four earned) on five hits in the six innings. She walked only three and struck out another trio. But what impressed head coach Patty Gasso the most was what the lefty did against the No. 2 team in the country in its own stadium.

"The players that hurt us were their freshmen that we didn't know much about," Gasso said. "Adrianne handled the returners very well. We had a choice to throw Jennifer Stewart, which is exactly what they wanted because she shut them out last year, or we could throw Adrianne out here with a crowd of 2,700 people. I know we made the right decision even though she got the loss because she learned a lot from this experience and it will only help us in the long run."

OU jumped out early in the first when Arizona starter Jennie Finch (9-0) struggled to find the plate. With two outs, senior Lisa Carey walked to get on base and advanced to second on a fielder's choice. Senior Ashli Barrett loaded the bases with a single through the left side and Finch walked Erin Evans to score Carey.

In the third inning, Carey singled through the left side to get on base and scored when Ashli Barrett doubled to the gap in right field.

Oklahoma was limited to just four hits after putting up zeros in its final three at-bats. Barrett went 2-for-3 with one RBI. Carey (1-for-2) and senior LaKisha Washington (1-for-2) had the other hits.

The defending national champs will make a visit to the White House on Monday to meet with United States President George Bush. The Sooners return to action this weekend when they host the OU Worth Invitational Mar. 9-11, at the OU Softball Complex. The tournament features Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, North Carolina, Southwest Missouri State and Texas A&M-Corpus Christie. The schedule is as follows:

Friday, Mar. 9: 11 a.m. - ULL vs. TAMU-CC, 1:15 p.m. - ULL vs. ULM, 3:30 p.m. - SMSU vs. North Carolina, 3:30 p.m. (Reaves Park) - TAMU-CC vs. ULM, 5:45 p.m. - OU vs. North Carolina

Saturday, Mar. 10: 11 a.m. - SMSU vs. ULM, 1:15 p.m. - UNC vs. TAMU-CC, 3:30 p.m. - OU vs. ULM, 3:30 p.m. (Reaves Park) - ULL vs. SMSU, 5:45 p.m. - OU vs. ULL

Sunday, Mar. 11: 10 a.m. - North Carolina vs. ULM, 12:15 p.m. - SMSU vs. TAMU-CC, 2:30 p.m. - OU vs. TAMU-CC, 2:30 p.m. (Reaves Park) - North Carolina vs. ULL, 4:45 p.m. - OU vs. SMSU

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Softball Drops Title Game to No. 2 Arizona

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