Sooners Complete Home-Opening Weekend Sweep

Saturday, March 4

Norman

3 PM CT

University of Oklahoma

16-1

Kentucky

11-5-1

Kentucky

Oklahoma

Sooners Complete Home-Opening Weekend Sweep

March 04, 2023 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Highlights Box: OU 7, UK 1 Box: OU 9, UIC 0 (5)Photo Gallery Photo Gallery 2

NORMAN — No. 1 Oklahoma swept through its final two games on home-opening weekend Saturday afternoon at Marita Hynes Field, beating No. 17/16 Kentucky 7-1 before a 9-0 run-rule over UIC.

On the weekend, the Sooners outscored its pair of opponents 39-1 across four games. The offense hit a combined 10 home runs and the pitching staff collected 30 strikeouts.

In game one of the day, after top-ranked Oklahoma (17-1) mercy-ruled Kentucky (11-5-1) Friday by a score of 18-0, the Wildcats took the Sooners the full seven innings Saturday, clawing one run out of the second matchup but that was all sophomore pitcher Jordy Bahl (W, 4-1) would allow. Bahl went the distance and surrendered one run on six hits and no walks to go with four strikeouts. Junior Jayda Coleman continued her tear at the plate, going yard for the fifth straight game in a 2-for-3, three RBI performance.

After a scoreless first, OU plated five runs on five hits in the second inning. Following a single from junior Alyssa Brito and walk to sophomore Sophia Nugent, the two-way player Bahl ripped an RBI single up the middle to score one before Coleman hit her fifth homer of the season to bring across three more. Freshman Jocelyn Erickson concluded the frame's scoring with an RBI double to left center.

The Sooners pushed single runs across in the third and fourth innings. After a walk to junior Rylie Boone, Bahl came through again with an RBI single through the left side to score her, marking Bahl's first career multi-RBI game.

Brito brought in OU's seventh run on a sacrifice-fly RBI in the fourth, scoring pinch runner Avery Hodge after a walk to super senior Haley Lee.

Kentucky managed their only run of the weekend vs. the Sooners on an RBI single in the fifth courtesy of Lauryn Borzilleri.

Coleman led OU at the plate with her homer and two hits, while Erickson went 3-for-4 with an RBI double and Bahl finished 2-for-3 with two runs batted in. Brito chipped in a 2-for-3 effort with one RBI.

Game two saw the Sooners put up a six spot in the first inning on UIC (0-16). An RBI double to left center from junior Tiare Jennings scored Coleman prior to an RBI single from Lee, run-scoring groundout by Erickson and sac-fly RBI from sophomore Cydney Sanders. Hodge plated senior Alynah Torres on an exceptional squeeze bunt before a UIC error allowed Boone to race home.

In the second, another miscue by the Flames let Nugent score before the sophomore catcher put the Sooners in run-rule territory in the fourth with a two-RBI double down the left line.

Fourteen Sooners made a plate appearance in the contest with seven recording a hit and six bringing in at least one run. Jennings paced the team going 2-for-2 with a pair of doubles and one RBI.

In the circle, junior righty Nicole May moved to 5-0 on the year and kept her season ERA at a perfect 0.00. May went four innings and allowed no runs or walks and just one hit paired with nine strikeouts. Freshman left-handed pitcher Kierston Deal entered in relief in the fifth inning and retired the side with one strikeout.

Oklahoma moved to 17-1 with four wins at Marita Hynes Field this weekend and are outscoring opponents 162-14 on the season with 31 home runs. The pitching staff has tossed 12 shutouts on the year with 140 strikeouts to 31 walks and a .162 opponent batting average. OU has won by run-rule in 11 of 18 games.

The Sooners return to the diamond next weekend, March 10-12, in Starkville, Miss., for the Bulldog Invitational hosted by Mississippi State. OU meets Southeastern Louisiana, MSU and Omaha on the weekend.

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