OU Ends Seven-Game Win Streak

FULLERTON, Calif. The nation's top scoring softball team, No. 6 Oklahoma, was shut out on Friday night by N.C. State, 7-0, in the Judi Garman Classic as Wolfpack pitcher Abbie Sims threw a no-hitter against the Sooner offense. It marked her second of the season and fifth of her career.

Oklahoma fell to 30-2 on the season with both losses the result of a no-hitter while N.C. State, who is receiving votes in the top-25, improved its record to 19-10.

“This was a combination of our team coming out flat and their pitcher throwing a good game for them,” head coach Patty Gasso said. “We were not disciplined at the plate today.”

Despite the loss in the final game of pool play, the Sooners remain the top seed out of their pool after winning the tiebreaker with Arizona by beating the Wildcats 6-2 Thursday night. Owning a 2-1 record in the tournament, OU enters the championship bracket on Saturday and will face Cal State Northridge, the No. 2 seed out of its pool, at 3:30 p.m. (CST) on Saturday. The winner of the contest will advance to the Sunday semifinal game at 12:30 p.m. while the loser will play Saturday night at 8:15 p.m.

Box Score: NC State 7, OU 0

Oklahoma couldn't get any offense going while North Carolina State used seven runs on 11 hits to beat the Sooners and snap their seven-game winning streak. It marked the most hits OU has given up this season since the opener against Louisville when they surrendered 11 as well.

Sophomore D. J. Mathis earned the start against the Wolfpack, but was relieved by Lauren Eckermann after giving up five hits and two runs in three innings while striking out six. Mathis fell to 7-2 on the year.

Eckermann, who earned both wins on Thursday, only went two-thirds of an inning but surrendered four runs and four hits before sophomore Morgan Hudsonpillar came in to pitch the final 2.1 innings. Hudsonpillar gave up one run on two hits while striking out three.

The N.C. State offense didn't waste any time getting on the board as Heather Gelbard and Blair Harkey led off with two straight singles. Two outs later, N.C. State's Allison Presnell pounded an RBI double to right center field as the Wolfpack took the 1-0 lead.

The Wolfpack answered again in the fourth as Shanna Smith led off the bottom of the frame with a single. Following the hit, starter Mathis was relieved by Eckermann, but it didn't stop N. C. State. Eckermann retired the next batter, but Megan Dalthrop followed that with a single as N.C. State had runners at the corners after Smith's stolen base. Next, the Wolfpack strung together two straight RBI singles to push the lead to 3-0. However, Jen Chamberlin's three-run homer that towered far over the left field fence extended N.C. State's lead to 6-0.

N.C. State added an insurance run in the fifth as Presnell led off with a double to left field and moved to third on a ground out. A sacrifice fly scored Presnell as N.C. State scored its final run of the game to push the score to 7-0.

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