OU Tops Utah, Sweeps MNCC

Sunday, February 27

Cathedral City, Calif.

11 AM CT

University of Oklahoma

15-0

Utah

11-5

Utah

Oklahoma

February 27, 2022 | Softball

Box Score Box Score: OU 2, Utah 1 Highlights

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. — No. 1 Oklahoma (15-0) closed its weekend at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic with a 2-1 win over Utah on Sunday morning.

OU swept through the Mary Nutter Classic for the first time since 2013 and remain undefeated on the season at 15-0. The Sooners collected two ranked wins on the weekend, beating No. 8/10 Arizona 10-2 in five innings and outlasting No. 17/17 Tennessee 9-8 in 10 innings. OU also beat CSU-Fullerton (10-6, 6 inn.) and Long Beach State (11-3, 5 inn.).

It was a grind-it-out win for the top-ranked squad, plating just two runs for its lowest single-game run total of the season. Junior Rylie Boone ripped the go-ahead RBI single in the fourth inning to push the Sooners past the Utes.

Utah (11-5) struck first following a single and defensive miscue allowing a runner to get around to third in the top of the third inning. A two-out RBI single allowed the runner to score to put OU down one after three.

The Sooners answered in the bottom of the fourth. After an error allowed junior Kinzie Hansen to reach first and a hit by pitch to senior Jana Johns, fellow seniors Taylon Snow and Grace Lyons moved the runners via a sacrifice hit and single, respectively. After Johns was thrown out at home on the Lyons' single, the ensuing play saw Lyons steal second and allowed Snow to race home on the throw to knot the game at one.

The next at-bat, Boone laced an RBI single to left to score Lyons to give OU the go-ahead run and bring the final to 2-1.

Redshirt senior Hope Trautwein collected her fifth win of the season in the circle, going four innings and striking out seven batters, giving up one run (unearned) on two hits and one walk.

Freshman Jordy Bahl finished the job, entering for the final three innings and allowing no hits, runs or walks while striking out four.

OU was led at the plate by a 2-for-3 showing from Lyons, while Boone went 1-for-2 with one RBI. Five Sooners recorded a hit in the contest.

On the weekend, Oklahoma's offense hit 15 home runs and outscored the opposition 42-14. The Sooner pitching staff struck out a combined 55 batters.

Johns (9 RBI) and sophomore Tiare Jennings (5 RBI) hit four home runs a piece over the weekend. Six Sooners blasted at least one home run and 10 brought in one or more runs. In the circle, Bahl (17.1 IP) led the way with 31 strikeouts and six runs (4 ER) on seven hits, while sophomore Nicole May fanned 13 batters and Trautwein K'ed 11.

Chasing the NCAA record career home run No. 96, Alo didn't see many opportunities on the weekend. The reigning national player of the year was walked 10 times (one intentional) and went 3-for-8 with four runs scored and two RBIs. She paced the team with a .737 on-base percentage.

On the season, the Sooners are batting .378 as a team with a nation-best 40 home runs and 137 runs scored. The pitching staff has allowed 16 runs, with only eight being earned, to go with 142 strikeouts.

The Sooners next scheduled game is Monday, March 7 vs. Minnesota for the home opener at Marita Hynes Field in Norman. The game is slated for a 5 p.m. CT start and can be seen on Bally Sports Oklahoma and heard on The Franchise 2 (103.3 FM/1560 AM) in Oklahoma and nationwide on the TuneIn app with OU play-by-play announcer Chris Plank on the call.

For updates and more information on Oklahoma softball, follow the Sooners on Twitter and Instagram (@OU_Softball) and like Oklahoma Softball on Facebook.