No. 3 OU Opens Big 12 with 7-0 Win

LUBBOCK, Texas The No. 3 Oklahoma softball team opened the Big 12 season with a 7-0 win over Texas Tech in game one of a doubleheader on Thursday evening in Lubbock. The rain delayed the game an hour, but the Sooner offense was able to overcome the delay and score all of its runs in the sixth and seventh innings to push its record to 34-2 overall and 1-0 in the Big 12. The Red Raiders fell to 17-14 and 0-1 in conference play.

The Sooners and Red Raiders began game two of the doubleheader at approximately 8:40 p.m.

Lindsey Vandever opened the game up with her two RBI double that got the Sooners on the board and Samantha Ricketts, the reigning NFCA National Player of the Week, pounded her third home run in as many games to put the final stamp on the contest. Ricketts' three-run shot in the top of the seventh marked her 13th homer of the season.

OU 7, Texas Tech 0

Norrelle Dickson also highlighted the game as she scored her 206th run of her career in the top of the seventh. The senior is now tied with Christy Ring as the career leader in runs scored at Oklahoma.

The Big 12 leader in wins, Lauren Eckermann, recorded her 20th win of the season. The junior added to her perfect record with a season-high 12 strikeouts and only gave up five hits while recording her seventh shut out of the season.

A scoreless ball game going in to the top of the sixth, the Sooners finally got their chance. Amber Flores ignited the offense with her one-out single through the right side of the infield. An out later, Susan Ogden reached first after her hard-hit ball caused TTU left fielder to drop it The error advanced Flores to third as the Sooners had runners at the corners. Next, Vandever stepped up and delivered the two RBI double to give OU the 2-0 advantage. Stacia Aleman continued the rally with her pinch-hit RBI single that scored Vandever and extended the Sooner lead to 3-0 heading into the bottom of the frame.

Oklahoma didn't let up in the seventh as Dickson recorded a one-out single and advanced to second after a throwing error by the Texas Tech shortstop. Next Jamie Fox, who entered the lineup in the sixth, walked. Ricketts silenced the crowd with her three-run homer over the left field fence to extend OU's lead to 6-0.

Ogden continued with a single as Iver McDonald came in to pinch run. McDonald stole second and scored the final run of the game as she advanced to third on Vandever's bunt single and advanced home on the throw to score the final run and give OU the 7-0 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh.

Following its second game of the doubleheader, OU will continue its Texas road trip as it heads to Austin. The Sooners will take on the No. 11 Texas Longhorns on Saturday (1 p.m.) and Sunday (12 p.m.).

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