OU Knocks Off Defending Champs, 6-2

FULLERTON, Calif. -- In a matchup of top-10 squads, the No. 6 Oklahoma softball team came out on top as it beat No. 5 Arizona, the defending National Champion, 6-2, in the night cap of the Judi Garman Classic on Thursday. The two-hour contest didn't end until 1 a.m. (CST), but a crowd of 1,258 watched the Sooners record their 30th win of the season.

The Sooners became the first Division I team to reach 30 wins and now own a record of 30-1 while Arizona fell to 18-6 on the season.

Registering her second complete game of the day, junior pitcher Lauren Eckermann improved to 17-0 on the season, a Big 12 best. The junior transfer only gave up two earned runs on seven hits while striking out eight Arizona batters.

The Wildcats out hit the Sooners, but Oklahoma recorded five hits and only left two on base while Arizona stranded eight base runners. Samantha Ricketts and Traci Dickenson highlighted the offense with home runs while Savannah Long and Lindsey Vandever each added a hit and an RBI.

Box Score: OU 6, Arizona 2

Arizona threatened in the bottom of the first as Caitlin Lowe led off with an infield single but was called out on the ensuing play as she left the base too early trying to steal. Chelsea Mesa followed with a single and the Wildcats had runners at first and second after Kristie Fox was hit by a pitch. However, Eckermann settled down and struck out the final two batters as OU escaped the inning.

The Sooners had base runners in the second as Ricketts opened the frame with a walk. Jade Prather came in to pinch run, but was called out for leaving early. Following a Mariee Mena strikeout, Jamie Fox walked to give OU its second base runner of the game. The Sooners couldn't capitalize as Amber Spaulding made the third out after bunting foul on the third strike.

Neither team could get a run across the plate until Arizona's Mesa hammered a two-out home run deep past the right field fence as Arizona took the initial 1-0 lead in the third. Fox followed with a double to center field and Leles pounded U of A's third straight hit to center field, an RBI single that brought Fox across the plate and extended the Wildcat lead to 2-0. Eckermann struck out Balko to end the inning.

Ricketts answered in the top of the fourth as she pounded her ninth home run of the year, a two-out solo shot over the left center field fence that squeezed Arizona's lead to 2-1.

Oklahoma used a big offensive rally in the top of the fifth to take its first lead of the game as Fox led off and reached first after an error by Arizona's third baseman. Amber Spaulding walked on the following play as the Sooners had runners at first and second with no outs. Freshman Lindsey Vandever followed with an RBI single up the middle that scored Fox, but Spaulding was thrown out on the play trying to advance to third.

Traci Dickenson followed that with her second home run of the day, a two-run shot over the left field fence to give OU the 4-2 lead. It marked the sophomore's seventh of the year after pounding one earlier in the day against Pacific.

The Sooners kept it going in the fifth as Norrelle Dickson followed with a walk and scored on the following play as Savannah Long pounded an RBI double to the left center field fence and OU extended its lead to 5-2. Next, Amber Flores stepped to the plate and hit an infield single, but a throwing error by U of A's shortstop scored Long and pushed the Sooner advantage to 6-2.

The Sooners will finish out pool play of the Judi Garman Classic on Friday as they take on N. C. State at 8:15 p.m. (CST). An OU win would advance the Sooners to the Championship Bracket, which would begin at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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