Softball Sweeps in Extras, 9-4

April 30, 2008

WACO, Texas - The No. 7 Oklahoma softball team plated five runs in the top of the 12th on Wednesday night as the Sooners swept Baylor in Waco for the first time since 2002 with a 9-4 victory in the second game of the doubleheader. The 12-inning contest marked OU's longest since 2004 when the Sooners lost to Missouri, 3-2, in 13 innings in the Big 12 Championship.

The doubleheader concluded OU's regular season as the Sooners finished with an overall mark of 43-11 and 16-2 in Big 12 play. Its Big 12 record marks the second-best Big 12 record in school history as the 2000 National Champion squad went 17-1. Baylor fell to 23-21 and 4-13 in the conference.

The Sooners finished second in the Big 12 standings as Texas A&M took the regular season title with a 2-1 win over Texas on Wednesday night. Oklahoma owned the 4-1 lead heading into the bottom of the fifth, but the Bears scored two in the bottom of the fifth and another in the bottom of the seventh to send the game into extra frames.

The Bears were held scoreless in extra frames while the Sooners scored five in the 12th to take the win.

Junior pitcher D.J. Mathis took the win as she pitched the final eight innings and gave up one earned run on four hits while striking out six and walking four. Mathis is now 27-5 on the year. OU starter Lauren Eckermann threw the first four frames and gave up three earned runs on four hits. Lindsey Vandever led the offense with three RBI while Wendy Trott and Samantha Ricketts added two each.

The Sooners were the first to take the lead as Ricketts' infield single with two outs scored Amber Flores, who led off the game with a double. OU owned the 1-0 advantage before Baylor even had a chance to bat. Baylor evened it up in the bottom of the fourth as Brette Reagan hammered her eighth homer of the year, a solo line drive over left center with the wind blowing in. The homer evened the score at 1-1 after four frames.

Haley Anderson sparked the Sooners with a one-out single to left in the fifth and Amber Flores followed that with a walk. Following the Flores walk, Baylor replaced starter Shaina Brock with Brittany Turner. The reliever gave up a walk to Krystle Huey to load the bases with one out. Next, Susan Ogden stepped to the place and recorded a fielder's choice as Long was out on the force at home. However, Ricketts followed that and was hit by a pitch to earn the RBI and bring another Sooner run across the plate as OU led 2-1 with the bases loaded and two outs. Following the run, Brock reentered in the circle for Turner with a 0-1 count on Vandever, who ripped a two-RBI single up the middle to push the OU lead to 4-1 after the top of the fifth.

Baylor came roaring back in the fifth as Tiffany Wesley led off with a single to right and Jordan Daniels followed that with an RBI triple that cut the gap to 4-2 with no outs. Next, Meagan Weldon reached on a fielding error by OU shortstop Savannah Long, only her fourth of the season, as Daniels scored and the lead was cut to one at 4-3.

After the error, Mathis entered the circle in relief of Eckermann. The reliever was solid as she retired six of the next seven batters she faced in the fifth and the sixth, including five strikeouts.

The Sooners went three up, three down in the top of the seventh as OU headed to the bottom of the frame with a 4-3 lead.

Daniels led off the bottom of the seventh and was hit by a pitch to put the tying run on first. Next, Weldon walked after starting with a 0-2 count. Next, K.J. Freeland reached on a fielder's choice, but lead runner Daniels was out on the force at third. Shortridge followed that with a fielder's choice, but Weldon was safe at third as the Bears loaded the bases with one out. After a fly out by Wesley, Reagan stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs. Reagan notched an RBI infield single to tie the game up and send it to extra innings.

Neither team scored until the top of the 12th when Ogden's double to left scored Flores from second. Flores began the frame on second as the international tie break rule took effect in the 10th with each team beginning the frame with a runner at second. Following a Ricketts single to right, Lindsey Vandever roped an RBI single up the middle to score Ogden and push the OU lead to 6-4 as Baylor starter Brock was replaced by Jenny Ishan.

Long was the first batter Ishan faced as Long was hit by a pitch for the third time of the night and the Sooners loaded the bases with one out. Next, Trott ripped a two-RBI single to right to push the OU lead to 8-4. After Legendre singled to load the bases, Anderson's fielder's choice got the forceout on Long at home for the second out of the frame. However, Flores followed that with a bases-loaded walk to extend the lead to 9-4 as the Sooners headed to the bottom of the 12th.

Baylor made it interesting in the bottom of the 12th as Wesley led off the frame at second. An out later, BU had runners at the corners as Alex Coyler reached on a fielding error by first baseman Samantha Ricketts. However, Mathis retired the next two batters to earn the win.

The Baylor doubleheader concluded the Sooners regular season. However, fans still have an opportunity to come out and congratulate the OU senior class as Oklahoma will host a Fan Fest and Senior Night this Friday at 6 p.m. at the OU Softball Complex. While there will be no game, there will be fan festivities as well as Senior Night ceremony for OU seniors Lauren Eckermann, Savannah Long, Susan Ogden and Jadyn Smith.

Oklahoma will begin postseason action on Saturday, May 10 as the No. 2 seed in the Big 12 Championship. The Sooners will play at 11 a.m. at Hall of Fame Stadium against the winner of the No. 7/No. 10 seed game on Friday night.

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