Sooners Reign In Arizona

March 2, 2003

Tempe, Ariz. - No. 9 Oklahoma left no doubt who was the top team in the Arizona State Tournament in Tempe, Ariz., on Sunday. The Sooners beat the No. 10 Sun Devils, 8-5, on their home field at Farrington Stadium for the third time over the weekend. Oklahoma finished with a perfect 5-0 record in the tournament and improved to 12-3 on the season.

Arizona State was determined to get a win over the Sooners in the final meeting. The Sun Devils went up early, 4-0, in the bottom of the first inning fueled by a two-run Kara Brun homer.

But the Sooners countered in the top of the second with a four-run blitz of their own to even the score. In front of her hometown crowd, Phoenix-native and Oklahoma freshman Kristin Vesely (2-for-5) got OU on the board with a RBI single. Senior Erin Evans (3-for-5) continued the scoring barrage with a two-RBI single to right field. Senior Kelli Braitsch reached on an error by the ASU second baseman and Vesely scored a run of her own to pull the Sooners even.

OU took the lead for good in the top of the third when sophomore catcher Heather Scaglione (3-for-3) blasted a homer over the right field wall to lead off the inning for the Sooners.

In the fifth, senior Leah Gulla (2-for-3), fresh off a two-homer game against UC-Riverside, doubled to begin the inning. Freshman Nikki Holt, pinch running for Gulla, scored on a Scaglione single to put Oklahoma up, 6-4.

Leah Gulla doubled again in the sixth to plate Kelli Braitsch. Sophomore Christina Enea (1-for-2) then belted a triple to score Gulla and OU had an 8-4 lead on ASU.

The Sun Devils scored a run in the bottom of the sixth but OU silenced the ASU bats in the seventh to complete the three-game sweep, 8-5.

OU outscored No. 10 Arizona State 21-7 in the series and delivered the Sun Devils their first losses of the season in Tempe.

Oklahoma also finished the first complete slate of tournament games for the first time this season. The Sooners had endured three prior weekends of weather-related delays and game cancellations in Gainesville, Fla., Norman and Columbus, Ga.

The Sooners enjoyed an outstanding offensive performance in the five-game stretch with eight players batting over .300. Christina Enea (7-for-12) led OU with a .583 average including a double, a triple, a home run, two runs scored and three RBI.

Leah Gulla (11-for-19) batted .579 with three doubles, two homers, five runs and a team-high 11 RBI. Erin Evans (9-for-16) batted .562 including two doubles, a home run, five runs and six RBI. Kelli Braitsch (9-for-18) batted .500 with two doubles, two home runs, a team-high seven runs and seven RBI.

Kristin Vesely (.400 with 6-for-15), Heather Scaglione (.385 with 5-for-13), Nicole Denes (.750 with 3-for-4) and Katie Overton (.667 with 2-for-3) rounded out the Sooner guns.

OU returns to Norman to play Missouri-Kansas City at 4 and 6 p.m. at the OU Softball Complex Monday afternoon. The Sooners will remain in Norman this weekend to host the OU/Worth Invitational beginning Friday, March 7.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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