Homers Lift Sooners Past Huskers

March 29, 2008

Oklahoma 6, Nebraska 0

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
Oklahoma	0	0	0	0	4	2	0	6	9	1
Nebraska	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	1

Pitching	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
W - Mathis (18-3)	7	4	0	0	2	9
L - Hill (6-5)	6	9	6	4	3	5

Batting Leaders	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	TB
OU - Long	4	1	2	3	0	6
OU - Ogden	3	1	1	2	0	4

Sooner Softball Central

2008 OU Softball Media Guide

LINCOLN, Neb . - Led by two two-run homers in the fifth, the No. 12 Oklahoma softball team shut out Nebraska, 5-0, Saturday afternoon in the first game of the doubleheader.

It marked OU's first win over Nebraska in Lincoln since March 20, 2003. It also marked the first time Nebraska had been shut out at home since the 2005 NCAA Tournament and the first time in the regular season since April 24, 2005.

The Sooners (29-8) and Huskers (13-14) began game two of the doubleheader at approximately 3:45 p.m. Originally, the teams were supposed to play the second game on Sunday but it was moved to a Saturday doubleheader due to projected storms in the Lincoln area on Saturday and Sunday night.

Savannah Long and Susan Ogden highlighted the offense as each hit a two-run homer in the fifth. Long led the team with three RBI while Long, Amber Flores and Wendy Trott each recorded two hits apiece in the contest.

Junior pitcher D.J. Mathis threw her ninth shut out of the season and her 14th complete game as she improved to 18-3 on the year. Mathis struck out nine and only allowed four hits and two walks in the seven-inning contest.

The Sooners missed opportunities in the first three innings as they left runners on base. In the first, Flores opened the game with a single to centerfield and two outs later, Samantha Ricketts was intentionally walked, but Ogden struck out to end the frame. In the third, Haley Anderson led off with a walk and OU had two runners on base after Flores singled up the middle. However, Long struck out and the next two batters were retired to end the inning.

With one out in the fifth, Long got the Sooners on the board first as she pounded a two-run homer that barely cleared the left field fence and scored Flores, who reached on a walk. It marked Long's eighth home run of the year gave the Sooners the 2-0 edge.

Long's homer provided a few firsts for the Sooners in Bowlin Stadium. It marked the first time the Sooners had scored more than one run in Bowlin Stadium, which was built in 2002. In addition, it marked the first run that had been scored on Nebraska at home this season.

Traci Dickenson kept the momentum alive as she followed with a single up the middle. Next, Ricketts hit to the NU first baseman, who tried to get the out at second, but the ball slipped out of her hand. Dickenson advanced all the way to third on the error as the Sooners had runners at the corners. Iver McDonald entered the game to pinch run for Ricketts and stole second on the next play, but Dickenson was picked off in a run down at third as McDonald advanced all the way to third. Next, Susan Ogden hammered her eighth home of the season, a two-run shot over deep left field, that extended the Sooner lead to 4-0 and pushed Ogden's season-best hitting streak to six games.

Nebraska answered with its own rally in the bottom of the fifth. Haley Long led off with a walk and was moved over to second on Julie Brechtel's sacrifice bunt. Next, Long advanced to third on Mathis' wild pitch as the Huskers had a runner at third for the first time in the game. On a 3-2 count, Whitney Barrett walked as the Huskers had runners at the corners with one out. However, the OU defense stepped up as Barrett was out on a fielder's choice at second and Darcy Rutherford grounded out to shortstop Long to end the inning as Mathis escaped without giving up a run.

Trott got the Sooners going again in the top of the sixth as she led off with a single to right and was pinch ran for by Dani Dobbs. Next, Jessica Legendre drilled a double to right center field that scored Dobbs from first and pushed the lead to 5-0. Two outs later, Long doubled to right center and scored Legendre as the Sooners owned the 6-0 advantage before Dickenson grounded out to end the frame.
The Huskers brought in Tori Tyson to start the top of the seventh as the freshman made her first Big 12 appearance of the season. Ricketts walked to start off the inning, but the next three batters were retired as OU headed into the bottom of the seventh with the 6-0 lead.

NU's Long flew out to center to lead off the top of the seventh. Next, Brechtel singled to right to give the Huskers momentum. Pinch hitter Kelli Linke recorded a fielder's choice that got Brechtel out at second for the second out of the frame. The Huskers pinch hit again as Brittany Pascale stepped to the plate. However, Mathis struck out Pascale to record the shutout and the win.

NU's Molly Hill fell to 6-5 after giving up nine hits and four earned runs in six complete innings.

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