OU's Offensive Barrage Beats No. 11 UCLA

Saturday, February 27

Palm Springs, Calif.

11:30 AM

University of Oklahoma

UCLA

OU's Offensive Barrage Beats No. 11 UCLA

February 27, 2016 | Softball

By: Karl Anderson

^11/10UCLA

^12/11 Oklahoma

Box Score

Audio Highlights

Inning-by-Inning
Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E
OU	0	6	0	2	0	1	2	11	18	1
UCLA	4	0	0	2	0	0	1	7	9	1

Pitching
	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
W - Chestnut (2-0)	7.0	9	5	5	6	3
L - Grauer (3-3)	1.1	7	6	6	0	2
S - N/A	-	-	-	-	-	-

Individual Leaders
	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	HR
OU - Pendley	4	3	4	2	0	0
UCLA - Sataraka	4	1	2	3	0	0

Game Notes
Oklahoma now trails the all-time series against UCLA, 9-3 ... the loss snapped a two-game losing streak in the series for OU ... the Sooners are now 2-3 against ranked teams this season ... the 18 hits were a season high for Oklahoma and the second most ever allowed by UCLA in its history ... sophomore Nicole Pendley tied a career high with four hits ... freshman Sydney Romero struck out in the first inning; it was her first strikeout of the season and it came in her 44th at-bat ... Romero also homered for the second time in as many days and extended her hitting streak to a team-best 10 games ... Oklahoma volunteer assistant coach Andrea Gasso played at UCLA from 2009-12 and was a two-time All-American

Game Notes

Oklahoma now trails the all-time series against UCLA, 9-3 ... the loss snapped a two-game losing streak in the series for OU ... the Sooners are now 2-3 against ranked teams this season ... the 18 hits were a season high for Oklahoma and the second most ever allowed by UCLA in its history ... sophomore Nicole Pendley tied a career high with four hits ... freshman Sydney Romero struck out in the first inning; it was her first strikeout of the season and it came in her 44th at-bat ... Romero also homered for the second time in as many days and extended her hitting streak to a team-best 10 games ... Oklahoma volunteer assistant coach Andrea Gasso played at UCLA from 2009-12 and was a two-time All-American

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. – It's still early in the 2016 season but one attribute seems to already be apparent for the Oklahoma softball team: resiliency.

The Sooners showed it Friday by going toe-to-toe with No. 2 Michigan. They didn't end up winning the game, but they rallied from an early deficit to take the lead and rallied later to tie the game when the lead had slipped.

It was shown later on Friday in the team's victory over No. 20 Fresno State. After enduring a three-hour slugfest with Michigan in the bright sun and sweltering heat at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Palm Springs, the team overcame an early deficit and multiple players being nagged by injuries to hand the 10-0 Bulldogs their first loss of the season.

The latest example came Saturday in the No. 12/11 Sooners' 11-7 victory over No. 11/10 UCLA (9-5). Faced with an early deficit, the Sooners (10-4) picked themselves up and used an unrelenting offensive attack to emerge 3-2 from a weekend that on paper was scheduled to be its most challenging during the regular season.

Oklahoma pounded out a season-high 18 hits, including four by sophomore and No. 9 hitter Nicole Pendley, three by fellow sophomore Kelsey Arnold and two each by senior Kady Self and freshmen Shay Knighten and Sydney Romero.

In fact, the 18 hits were the second most ever allowed by UCLA, a program that has won more national titles than any other program in college softball history. Only Auburn had more than OU, recording 19 hits in a game during the 2012 season.

The game also saw the continued growth and maturation of freshman Jayden Chestnut. She was called upon for the second game in a row to get all 21 outs in a relief role, and she answered the call once again.

She allowed five runs on nine hits and six walks, but she also struck out six and provided stability in bending but not breaking against the UCLA hitters to earn her second career win.

UCLA jumped to a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first.

Senior Kelsey Stevens started and walked the first two batters. Like the game Friday against Fresno State in which Stevens walked the first three batters, she was lifted for Chestnut in the middle of an at-bat. The Mustang, Okla., native walked the batter and then gave up a pair of run-scoring singles before walking in a run and allowing a sacrifice fly.

The Sooners didn't waste any time answering back, though.

Sophomore Lea Wodach continued her stellar weekend with a solo home run on the first pitch she saw. It was her third home run in Palm Springs and her fifth hit for extra bases. The blast was Wodach's fourth of the season, tying freshman Shay Knighten for the most on the team.

After Wodach's homer, Knighten and Self singled. A flyout allowed Knighten to reach third to put runners on the corners for senior Whitney Montgomery. On a 1-1 pitch, she put down a squeeze bunt in front of the plate. The flip from UCLA pitcher Johanna Grauer was too late to get Knighten and the ball got away from the catcher, allowing Self and Montgomery to move into scoring position.

OU trailed 4-2 at that point, but quickly tied it up as Pendley laced a 2-1 pitch into left center to even the game at 4-4. Oklahoma then grabbed the lead when Romero launched her second home run in as many games to left field to make it 6-4.

After a scoreless third inning, both teams added a pair of runs in the fourth.

Pendley, Romero and Arnold all singled to the left side to start the inning, but after two outs with the bases loaded it looked as though the Sooners may come up empty. Knighten came through, though, as she pulled a single through the left side to help OU double up UCLA, 8-4.

The Bruins got both runs back in the bottom of the frame as three walks filled the bases with two outs. Mysha Sataraka cashed in the free passes with a two-run single up the middle to cut the OU lead in half at 8-6.

Oklahoma added an insurance run in the sixth.

Arnold hustled down the line to beat out an infield single to lead off the frame. She then showcased her speed again, scoring all the way from first on senior Erin Miller's triple into the right field corner. It was the 11^th triple of Miller's career, moving her into a three-way tie for sixth place in OU history.

UCLA looked as though it may carve into OU's three-run lead in the bottom of the inning as the Bruins had runners on first and second with just one out. Facing Sataraka again, Chestnut got her to line into a 6-4 double play, keeping Oklahoma's lead intact.

To give themselves breathing room, the Sooners tacked on two more runs in the top of the seventh.

With one out and one on, Pendley tied a career high with her fourth hit of the contest on a single through the left side. Heading back to the top of the order, Romero filled the bases with a walk. Arnold aggressively then went after the first pitch she saw and singled up the middle to bring home two runs and give OU the 11-6 lead.

UCLA got a run back in the bottom of the seventh on a one-out RBI double, but a pair of groundouts gave the Sooners their second win over a ranked team in 2016.

After three weekends on the road to open the year, Oklahoma opens the home portion of its 2016 schedule this Saturday against Dartmouth. The doubleheader starts at 1 p.m. at Marita Hynes Field.