Keiter Dominates, Shuts Out Nebraska

FULLERTON, Calif. A battle between two of the Big 12's best hurlers lived up to the billing as Oklahoma ace Kami Keiter tossed a two-hit shutout for the 1-0 win over No. 20 Nebraska at the Kia Klassic Saturday morning. The offense for the No. 7 Sooners was provided by Jessica Leslie who knocked in the winning run in the seventh inning. The Sooners improve to 26-8-1 and advance to play No. 9 Washington at 7 p.m. (CST), tonight on the main field at Cal State Fullerton.

Keiter, who missed the first month of the season, flashed her All-American form as she stifled the Huskers lineup all morning. The junior lefty tied a season-high with seven strikeouts, while allowing only one base on balls. She faced just two batters over the minimum 21, allowed only one runner to reach second base and sent NU down in order six times. Keiter improves to 4-2 and picks up her second shutout of the season.

Box Score | Kia Klassic Tourney Central

On the other end, Huskers senior Peaches James stranded four OU hits until the decisive seventh inning. James had her drop ball working and that led to seven strikeouts and no walks. The loss dropped James to 13-5 on the season.

Jessica Leslie came up with another big hit for the Sooners in the top of the seventh inning. Her double to right field gap brought home pinch-runner Stacia Aleman from first base. The run gave OU the 1-0 advantage and snapped James' streak of 51 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run. Leslie scored OU's only run against No. 1 Arizona on Friday.

Mariee Mena, who started the seventh inning rally with single, continued her hot hitting of late with a 2-for-3 day. Freshman leadoff hitter Norrelle Dickson also went 2-for-3 and improved her batting average to .436.

OU, which is 1-2 against top-10 teams this season, will face Washington for the ninth time in program history. The last meeting was in the 2003 Women's College World Series, when the Huskies won 3-1 in the opening round of the national championship tournament. The Huskies, who have split the all-time series with OU, have a 20-6 record on the season.

If the Sooners defeat the Huskies, they will advance to the semifinals of the Kia Klassic and will play Sunday at 1 p.m. (CST).

OU's contest with Washington will be broadcast live by local station KBPK and streamed through SoonerSports.com. The official athletics web site of Oklahoma will also provide live stats. Links to both free services are provided below:

KBPK Radio Broadcast | Live Stats

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