Sooners Blast Longhorns, 8-0

April 26, 2008

Oklahoma 8, Texas 0 (6 Innings)

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
Texas	0	0	0	0	0	0	x	0	1	1
Oklahoma	3	4	0	0	0	1	x	8	12	0

Pitching	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
W - Mathis (25-5)	6	1	0	0	1	8
L - Denny (18-7)	1.2	5	6	6	4	2

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

Sooner Softball Central

2008 OU Softball Media Guide

NORMAN, Okla. -- Led by three-run homers by Susan Ogden and Lindsey Vandever and a one-hit shutout by OU pitcher D.J. Mathis, the No. 8 Oklahoma softball team run ruled Texas, 8-0, in six innings Saturday afternoon at the OU Softball Complex. Oklahoma played in front of its largest home crowd of the season as 1,338 fans watched the Sooners extend their win streak to five straight while the crowd was also the 10th largest in OU Softball Complex history.

The game was a milestone for the Sooner program as well as the Sooners recorded their 15th straight 40-win season, including 14th straight under head coach Patty Gasso. The Sooners improved to 40-11 on the season and 13-2 in Big 12 action while the Longhorns fell to 25-18 and 9-7 in conference play.

"I thought we really played championship softball today," Gasso said. "Our offense came out strong from the start and that is extremely important this time of year."

Mathis was solid as she threw her 11th shutout of the season and improved to 25-5 in the circle this season. The junior lefty was one walk and one hit away from a perfect game as she also struck out eight in the contest.

"D.J. was a woman among girls today," Gasso said. "She came out and dominated in the circle and couldn't have done it any better today."

Offensively, OU tallied 12 hits on eight runs and scored six of their runs on two home runs. Vandever led the team with a 3-for-4 outing at the plate, including her three-run homer in the second. Ogden also added a 2-for-4 performance with her three-run homer while Savannah Long went 3-for-4 from the plate. Amber Flores also set a career high with four walks in all four of her at bats.

The Sooners scored seven of their eight runs in the first two frames before Jessica Legendre hit an RBI-single to left to end the game in a run rule.

Oklahoma led off the bottom of the first with back-to-back walks by Flores and Krystle Huey. Ogden followed that with a three-run homer on the first pitch of her at bat as she sent the ball over the left field fence and gave OU the early 3-0 lead. An out later, Vandever and Long connected on consecutive singles. Following a Wendy Trott fly out, Legendre walked to load the bases for freshman Haley Anderson. However, the rookie struck out as OU ended the frame with a 3-0 lead.

The Sooners kept it going in the second as Huey reached on a fielder's choice and two outs later, Samantha Ricketts roped a single up the middle as the Sooners had runners at the corners. Vandever stepped to the plate and hammered her sixth home run of the season, a three-run shot to left field, as OU extended the lead to 6-0. Following the home run, UT starter Meagan Denny was replaced by freshman Brittany Barnhill.

Denny took the loss after giving up six earned runs on five hits in 1.2 innings of work while also walking four.

Long was the first batter Barnhill faced as the senior shortstop notched a single and Wendy Trott followed that with a single to left field, but a throwing error by UT shortstop Loryn Johnson scored Long on the play as the Sooners pushed the lead to 7-0. Legendre followed with a single to right as OU had runners at the corners again, but Legendre reached second on wild pitch on Haley Anderson. The freshman grounded out to end the frame as the Sooners batted through the lineup for the second straight inning.

Mathis retired the first 12 batters of the frame before giving up her first hit of the game, a double to Kacie Glaskin to lead off the top of the fifth. However, Mathis retired the next three batters to keep the shutout going.

In the top of the sixth Vandever and Long registered back-to-back singles and Legendre came through with the RBI single to left field that ended the game in a run rule.

Oklahoma will play its final home regular season game on Sunday when it closes out the series with the Longhorns at 12 p.m.