Sunday Morning Stanford Rally Ends Softballs Season

OKLAHOMA CITY - A two-run Stanford rally in Sunday morning's sixth inning eliminated the Oklahoma softball team from the Women's College World Series and ended its dramatic postseason run. OU couldn't hold on to its 2-1 lead when it resumed play after the final two innings of the game were postponed on Saturday evening due to severe weather. The final tally showed a 3-2 defeat for the Sooners, who finish the 2004 campaign with a 45-22-1 record.

OU had a pair of hits in the top of the sixth but couldn't push a run across. The Cardinal finally took advantage. On Keiter's fourth pitch of the day, Laura Lappin drove the ball over the left field fence to tie the game at 2-2.

An error at second base by April Valdez allowed Meghan Sickler to come to bat in the sixth. Sickler poked a triple down the right field line to score pincher runner Jacki Hansen. Suddenly, after carrying all the momentum for the first five and half innings OU was down by a run with three outs left in its season.

In the seventh inning OU went down in order for the first time in the game.

Box Score | 2004 Women's College World Series Central

The Sooners touched up Stanford ace Dana Sorenson for a season-high 10 hits but failed to turn that offense into runs. OU left 11 runners on base in the game and a total of 25 in their final 16 innings of WCWS play.

True to form during their postseason run, the Sooners scored first. OU pounced on Stanford with two runs in the first inning. A one-out double by Kristin Vesely began the rally. An error on a Christina Enea grounder allowed Vesely to score from second.

Mariee Mena made that error even more costly when she knocked in her team-leading ninth run since regionals. At that point five of OU's nine WCWS runs had been scored after errors by the opposing team.

Keiter was the hard luck loser for the seocnd consecutive game. She finished her junior campaign with a 23-15 record and 1.22 ERA.

OU loses three players to graduation. Katie Overton is the only four year Sooner of the group. Overton played a crucial role in OU's postseason run by solidifying OU's infield as short stop. Nicki Holt (Washington) and April Valdez (Depaul) both began their careers at other schools before becoming vital parts of the Sooner fold.

The good news for OU is that they will return 13 players and eight starters for the 2005 season. OU will have to replace Overton at short stop and Valdez at second base. The returning players accounted for 93 percent of the RBI and 90 percent of the runs scored.

The majority of the pitching staff is also expected to return next season. Keiter will attempt to become the second Sooner pitcher in Big 12 history to garner all-conference honors four times in her career. Nicole Denes is expected to have surgery to repair her irregular heart beat in early July and return to action in the fall.

The loss ends a season that Coach Gasso has often referred to as the most memorable of her 10 at the helm. After finishing the conference season with a dissapointing 2-2 finish in the Big 12 Tournament, OU rallied against what was considered the toughest regional in the country.

OU rallied through Tucson, Ariz., picking up its first ever win over a No. 1 team (Arizona) and clinching their fifth consecutive WCWS appearance with a 15-0 thumping of Louisiana-Lafayette. OU continued their offensive assualt in its WCWS opener when they popped Washington by a score of 6-2.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Sunday Morning Stanford Rally Ends Softballs Season

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