Sooners Continue Winning Ways At UTA Tournament

Feb. 9, 2002

GRAND PRAIRIE, Texas - The Sooner softball bats came alive in a 9-1 win over the Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners in No. 7 Oklahoma's final game of pool competition on Saturday in day two of the UTA Tournament at Mike Lewis Field. Oklahoma pounded out 11 hits, six of which went for extra base hits, including three home runs. OU run-ruled their second team of the classic when a single by junior third baseman Leah Gulla (3-for-3) scored junior shortstop Kelli Braitsch (3-for-4) from third to seal the eight-run advantage. Including the single, Gulla also hit a home run and a double, falling a triple short of hitting for the cycle. Adrianne Ratliff (1-0) and Angela Foster combined to shut down UTSA on three hits as OU moved to 4-0 on the year.

"I called upon Christy Ring and Erin Evans to do something offensively and they really responded well. The rest is contagious. If we can get a spark started, then we can get everybody else going, too," commented Oklahoma Head Coach Patty Gasso on OU's break out four-run third inning.

"Adrianne Ratliff threw well today. She was able to throw all the pitches we asked her to," continued Gasso. "Her style of pitching really compliments Angela Foster because she was throwing down in the zone and Angela came in and threw up in the zone."

Forced to battle back from behind for the second straight game, OU recorded four runs in the third inning to grab a 4-1 lead. Junior centerfielder Erin Evans (1-for-3) began the scoring with a two-run homer, which scored senior left fielder Christy Ring (1-for-4) who had doubled in the previous at bat. In the next at bat, Braitsch kept the rally alive by connecting on the first pitch for a solo home run and then, two batters later, Gulla blasted a solo home run.

In the fifth inning, Braitsch accounted for the Sooners' fifth run of the game after stealing third and advancing home after a throw by the Roadrunner catcher got away on a failed caught stealing attempt on the same play. All three of OU's runs in the sixth were unearned due to a costly UTSA error.

Ratliff worked four innings and gave up only three hits and one run to pick up her first win on the season. Foster relieved her for the last two innings and struck out all six batters to earn her first save.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Sooners Continue Winning Ways At UTA Tournament

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