Sooners’ Offensive Explosion Leads to 11-1 Win Over UNI
NORMAN, Okla. – The 12th-ranked University of Oklahoma softball team closed out action at the Oklahoma Spring Festival Sunday afternoon with an 11-1 five-inning win over Northern Iowa. Sophomore pitcher Allee Allen made her first start of the season, throwing a complete game and allowing just the one run. Oklahoma moved to 20-3 on the season, while the Panthers fell to 11-9.
Oklahoma got on the board first with a single run in the second inning. Senior Lindsey Vandever doubled to center field and advance to third on a passed ball. Vandever scored on an single by freshman Brianna Turang.
The Sooners knocked the game wide-open in the bottom of the fourth. When the scoring frenzy was complete, OU scored 10 runs on 10 hits and batted through the lineup almost two complete rotations. The last time Oklahoma had a more productive inning was against Arkansas in the 2009 Regional, where the Sooners spotted the Razorbacks for 13 runs in the top of the seventh inning.
Flores reached after being hit by a pitch and Vandever singled to put two runners aboard with just one out. Turang laid down a perfect bunt attempt just inside fair territory and beat out any chance of an out to load the bases for Dani Dobbs. Dobbs delivered a two- single to score Flores and Vandever. Turang came home on a base hit up the middle by Katie Norris and Dobbs scored on during the next at-bat when Karolyne Long singled. Haley Nix recorded her eighth home run of the season to bring in three more runs for Oklahoma.
With the bases clear, Flores was once again hit by a pitch and pinch hitter Wendy Trott came through with a single to advance pinch runner Krystle Huey to third. Freshman Keilani Ricketts entered to pinch hit for Vandever and did not disappoint, belting her third home run of the season over the left center field fence. Turang and Dobbs added back-to-back singles before the frame was complete.
Northern Iowa’s only run of the game came on an sacrifice fly by Mackenzie Daigh to score Megan Machovec who led off the inning with a triple.
Five Sooners were perfect at the plate on the afternoon. Turang led the way with a 3-for-3 performance. Vandever went 2-for-2 with two runs scored and Long was 2-for-2 with one run scored. Trott and Ricketts were 1-for-1 in their pinch hit appearances. Ricketts’ only hit was a three-run home run, as was Nix’s. Dobbs was the only other Sooner to record multiple hits, going 2-for-3 with two .
As a team, Oklahoma record 13 hits and scored 11 runs, 10 of them earned, without drawing a single walk and recording just one strikeout.
Allen allowed the one earned run on six hits. She struck the game’s final two batters.
Oklahoma closes out a nine-game homestand Monday afternoon, hosting at 5 p.m. CT. The Sooners leave Tuesday for a southern California road trip that includes a Wednesday doubleheader at Cal State Northridge. OU participates in the Judi Garman Classic at Cal State Fullerton Thursday through Saturday.
Updated 03-14-2010
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