12th-Ranked Sooners Win Bedlam Finale, 5-4, In 10 Innings

April 24, 2002

NORMAN, Okla. -

After Oklahoma State went up 4-3 in the top of the tenth inning, Oklahoma freshman first baseman Christina Enea hit a game-winning two-run single in the bottom of the frame to give the 12th-ranked Sooners a thrilling 5-4 win at the OU Softball Complex on Wednesday night. The game-winning single by Enea was almost a repeat of the series' first game this season in Stillwater when she drove in the winning run with a base hit to cap off a five-run comeback for the Sooners in the 6-5 win. The win gave Oklahoma a Bedlam Series sweep and allowed the the Bank of Oklahoma Bedlam Series Bell to remain in Norman. It also brought Oklahoma to within a half a point in the overall sport series score at, 7.5 - 7.0. The Sooners improve to 39-12 overall and 12-2 in the Big 12, while the Cowgirls fell to 29-19 overall and 8-8 in the conference.

Enea's (3-for-5) hit scored junior second baseman Tiffany Weight (1-for-4), who led off the inning on second base, and senior leftfielder Christy Ring (1-for-5). Ring had ignited the rally by legging out a bunt single to move Weight to third and put runners on the corners with no outs. After Ring stole second and junior shortstop Kelli Braitsch (1-for-5) struck out, Enea stroked the ball to left field as both runners hustled home and Ring touched home plate as the ball reached the catcher.

Both teams combined for five runs on three home runs in the first three frames, before both starting pitchers worked into a groove and shut the offenses down. Just as the first game of the series started off, the Cowgirls struck first with two runs in the first inning. Shortstop Casey O'Neill (3-for-4) singled and crossed home plate on a two-run homer by catcher Ryan Realmuto (2-for-3).

OU responded with home runs of their own to take a 3-2 lead after three innings. In the bottom of the first inning, Braitsch hit a solo home run, her seventh of the season, to right center field to narrow OSU's advantage to 2-1.

The Sooners then captured their first lead of the game in the third inning when they got two more runs off of the team's second homer of the evening. Enea reached base on a single and scored on junior third baseman Leah Gulla's (1-for-4) two-run homer to left field to give OU a 3-2 lead.

The lead would hold up until the seventh inning when OSU pinch hitter Jamie Koshmider (1-for-1) laced a double into right field off of OU starter Jennifer Stewart to bring pinch runner Erika Ennis home with the tying run and send the game into extra frames.

Stewart retired 17 of the next 20 batters following OSU's two-run homer in the first inning before running into trouble in the top of the seventh. Her night ended after the game-tying hit as the senior finished by giving up only four hits, three runs and striking out three. She was relieved by freshman Kami Keiter (11-6) who worked the next three extra frames and surrendered three hits, no earned runs and struck out one to earn the win.

OU's attention now turns to its conference series finale at Baylor this weekend. Action starts on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Getterman Stadium in Waco, Texas.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

12th-Ranked Sooners Win Bedlam Finale, 5-4, In 10 Innings

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