Ricketts Strikes Down Texas A&M
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The 11th-ranked University of Oklahoma softball team used a 13-hit explosion and got a spectacular performance from freshman pitcher Keilani Ricketts to down 21st-ranked Texas A&M, 6-0, on Saturday afternoon. Ricketts became the first OU pitcher to strike out 15 batters in a single game since Brea Moore fanned a school-record 17 against Iowa State on April 2, 1995.
Oklahoma (30-9, 4-2 Big 12) reached the 30-win plateau for the 17th consecutive season en route to handing the Aggies (32-10, 4-3 Big12) their second shutout of the season.
Oklahoma got on the board in the top of the third inning when Chana’e Jones led off with a walk and Amber Flores reached after being hit by a pitch. Jessica Shults’ sacrifice bunt attempt was overthrown to first base and Jones scored on the miscue to put OU up 1-0. Lindsey Vandever then delivered her seventh home run of the season, a shot just fair well-over the fence just the right field line to plate pinch runner Haley Anderson and Shults.
The Sooners added two runs in the fourth when Brianna Turang led off with a single and Jones followed with a single. The pair then scored on another Aggie miscue to push the OU advantage to 6-0.
Vandever ended the game 3-for-4 with three runs driven in on the home run. Vandever’s first hit of the day, a second-inning single, snapped a three-game hitting skid. Jones went 1-for-3 with two runs scored. Shults gathered a pair of singles as did Haley Nix. Flores extended her hitting streak to nine games with a first-inning double.
Ricketts was responsible for the first eight Texas A&M outs, all coming as the result of strikeouts. The Sooners allowed just three runners to reach scoring position, two to second base and one to third in the fifth inning.
Ricketts threw her 17th complete game of the season, picking up her eighth shutout. She increased her single season strikeout total to 202 to move into eighth on the single season list. Ricketts carried a no-hitter through 4.1 innings and allowed just three hits on the afternoon. She walked four batters and hit two.
The two teams close out the series Sunday afternoon at noon CT. The game can be heard live on 1400 AM or online at SoonerSports.com.
Updated 04-11-2010
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