Softball Sweeps Bedlam Series

Final: Oklahoma 6, Oklahoma State 1

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

Pitching	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
W - Eckermann (12-4)	7	6	1	0	0	5
L - Odom (8-5)	3	6	3	3	0	0

Batting Leaders	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	TB
OU - Flores	3	2	2	1	1	5
OU - Ricketts	3	1	2	1	0	2

Sooner Softball Central

2008 OU Softball Media Guide

NORMAN, Okla. -- The No. 8 Oklahoma softball team recorded its 13th straight victory against Oklahoma State with a 6-1 win in the second installment of the Ford Bedlam Series on Wednesday night at the OU Softball Complex.

It marked a sweep for the Sooners as they defeated OSU, 3-1, in Tuesday night's game in Stillwater. The Sooners have swept the Cowgirls in 11 of the last 13 seasons of conference play.

The game was televised, but due to weather issues the full game was not shown in the Oklahoma City and Tulsa markets. The game will be shown in its entirety on Wednesday night at 11 p.m. on Cox channel 7 in OKC and Cox channel 3 in Tulsa. In addition, the full game will also be shown on Thursday night at 7 p.m. in both markets.

"We didn't come out strong, but I was really pleased with how we battled back and swung the momentum our direction," head coach Patty Gasso said. "Lauren Eckermann had a great outing in the circle which is key for us as we near the end of the regular season. It was also great to see Amber Flores tie it up with her home run to as she is getting back into her groove and is becoming one of the best hitters in the country."

Winning their fourth straight game, the Sooners improved to 39-11 and 12-2 in the conference and still remain in second place in the Big 12 standings while Oklahoma State fell to 24-22 and 7-7 in the league.

Offensively, the Sooners tallied nine hits to OSU's six as Amber Flores and Samantha Ricketts led the way with 2-for-3 performances. Both tallied an RBI apiece while Wendy Trott and Lindsey Vandever added OU's two other RBIs.

OU starter Lauren Eckermann threw the complete-game win and pushed her record to 12-4 after allowing no earned runs and scattering six hits while striking out five.

The Cowgirls took the early momentum as Mariah Gearhart led off the game with a bunt single, but a throwing error by OU catcher Lindsey Vandever advanced her to second. Next, Katelyn Bright singled to left, but a fielding error by OU left fielder Chana'e Jones scored Gearhart as the Cowgirls took the early 1-0 lead. However, Eckermann and the OU defense settled as she retired the next three batters to escape without giving up another run.

It didn't take long for the Sooners to even it up as Amber Flores led off the bottom of the first with a solo home run to tie it up. It marked Flores' team-leading 13th home run of the season.

It was Flores again in the third that sparked the OU offense as she led off the frame with a single up the middle and Chana'e Jones followed with a bunt single. An out later, Ricketts' RBI single scored Flores and Vandever followed that with a squeeze RBI sacrifice bunt that scored Krystle Huey, who was pinch running for Jones, as the Sooners led 3-1.

Wendy Trott pounded her seventh homer of the year to lead off the fourth and extend the Sooner advantage to 4-1.

The Sooners added two more insurance runs in the fifth. Ricketts notched a one-out single to right and Vandever followed that with a single up the middle. An out later, a fielding error by the Oklahoma State second baseman scored Vandever and Ricketts as OU scored its final two runs of the game and led 6-1.

Eckermann was solid in the complete game and the Cowgirls only threatened in the sixth inning. OSU led off the sixth with back-to-back singles and two outs later, an OU error loaded the bases. However, Eckermann retired the next batter to end the frame.

The Sooners will play their final regular season home series this weekend when they host the Texas Longhorns at the OU Softball Complex. The first game of the series is set for 2 p.m. on Saturday, followed by a 12 p.m. contest on Sunday.

Next Event

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics