Louisiana

OUInsider – Early offense propels Sooners past Louisiana, Liberty

Published

2 years ago

March 2, 2024

OUInsider – Early offense propels Sooners past Louisiana, Liberty

NORMAN â Patty Gasso and the players acknowledged that Friday’s opening day at Love’s Field was an emotional and sometimes challenging one.

But on Saturday â their second day at their new stadium â the Sooners were more settled in. They opened their doubleheader with an 8-0 win over Louisiana before closing it with a 15-3 win over Liberty.

Two games, two run-rule victories.

While they’re still getting adjusted to their new surroundings, Saturday was clearly a step forward.

“I was kind of mesmerized by just how many people were watching and just being in the best stadium in the country is hard to wrap my brain around while I was playing,” Jayda Coleman said on Saturday. “But today was definitely more settled in.”

Gasso saw a difference in her team, too.

“I think we got comfortable in our new house a little more,” Gasso said. “Definitely felt a difference. They were confident. Just still feeling out a little bit. Like the wind flow is different. I mean thereâs some things weâre trying to learn about the stadium. But definitely the jitters were out and they played the way theyâre capable of.”

Here’s some takeaways and notes from the second round of games at Love’s Field:

Oklahoma 8, Louisiana 0 (five innings)

â True sophomore Kierston Deal made her first circle appearance at Love’s Field and delivered a solid performance, allowing three hits and no runs with two strikeouts in 4.0 innings. Paytn Monticelli allowed two hits and no runs in relief.

Deal has played significantly better since the early struggles during opening weekend. In her last 16 innings, Deal has allowed just seven hits and no runs with 18 strikeouts.

“There was a lot of confidence there,” Gasso said. “It’s been really fun to watch her â well it wasn’t fun to watch her first appearance. But to see her response to it has been really incredible. It’s a good testimony to just believing in yourself. She got that back and she didn’t let it lay it all out on that first weekend. So I’ve been really happy with her performance. We need that right now. Our pitching staff got a little roughed up this weekend and we’ve got some work to do.”

â Alyssa Brito was sensational: three hits (all doubles), three runs and two RBIs.

â Gasso did a lot of tinkering with the lineup. The highlights? Riley Ludlam started at first base instead of Cydney Sanders, Rylie Boone batted first while usual leadoff hitter Jayda Coleman was in the nine spot.

“Weâre really into analytics,” Gasso said. “And it does make a difference. And they know that. Itâs not, âOh, Jayda all of a sudden youâre in the nine.â Itâs strategic. We set them up for success by what pitcher is on the mound and who â maybe I like balls that are up and itâs a down-ball pitcher. Maybe I should be lower in the lineup or maybe I make a switch. I mean itâs all about that. Or sometimes Iâm just trying to get some of these guys off their feet a little bit. Booneâs been hot. Booneâs been really hot.

“The nine-one is really a nice combo whether itâs these two or even Avery in the nine with Jayda. Sometimes Boone is one, Jayda two or Boone two, Jayda one. I mean we can do a lot of things but it does have a lot to do with lefty-righty matches versus who we think weâre gonna face. So Iâm really writing out three different lineups.”

â The Sooners’ lone home run came from Ludlam.

Oklahoma 15, Liberty 3 (five innings)

â Sanders returned to her usual place at first base and also got things started with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the second inning. She finished the game with two hits, a run, a walk and a team-high four RBIs.

Sanders has now been walked nine times this season, the most on the team.

“She’s feeling a little bit of press from other people that are working out over at first and again, you can either say, ‘No, I have to, I have to, I’ve got to,’ or you say, ‘This is my spot. Give me the bat, let me show you,’” Gasso said. “That’s kind of what I felt from her today. She’s going to fight for that. We know how capable she is. She has shown it since her freshman year at Arizona State. She’s fighting and that’s good.”

â Friday’s game Miami (OH) was a bit of a struggle for Nicole May, who surrendered back-to-back home runs in the top of the first. There were no such issues against Liberty, as May surrendered one hit and no runs in three innings.

Karlie Keeney pitched one inning in relief against her former team. Kelly Maxwell closed it out in the fifth inning but did surrender back-to-back home runs.

â Ludlam snagged another start, this time as the designated player. Freshman Ella Parker, who has made 12 starts as the designated player, didn’t start either game but saw two at-bats.

â Tiare Jennings hit her sixth home run of the season in the second inning. That briefly tied Brito for the team lead in home runs, before Brito hit a two-run bomb in the fourth inning to reclaim the top spot.

â The Sooners recorded 17 hits, their most in a game this season. Of their 12 runs, eight of them came with two outs on the board.

â The Sooners are now 18-0 on the season and nine run-rule victories. They’ve won 71 games in a row dating back to last season.

â Up next: The Sooners conclude the OU Tournament against Louisiana at 12:30 p.m. Sunday (ESPN+).

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Louisiana

Louisiana Purchase & Gardens Zoo holds “Red, White and Blue Day”

Published

6 hours ago

July 5, 2026

Press Room

Louisiana Purchase & Gardens Zoo holds “Red, White and Blue Day”

MONROE, La. (KNOE) – Families spent part of Independence Day weekend at Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo for the first-ever “Red, White and Blue Day,” a new event the zoo hopes will become an annual tradition.

The celebration featured children’s activities, food vendors and patriotic decorations throughout the grounds.

Organizers also added a pair of crowd-pleasers: a pizza-eating contest and a watermelon-eating contest, drawing spectators who gathered to watch contestants race the clock.

Zoo Director Phillip Crawley said the event was designed as a family day focused on bringing the community together.

“We want a family day, you know, we want people to come together. We want the, all of America needs to come together,” Crawley said. “Everybody’s been so at each other lately that hey, let’s all just get back together… let’s come out here to the zoo let’s have a good time… and see that everybody’s happy.”

Crawley said the goal is to give families another reason to visit while creating a positive, shared experience in a relaxed setting.

Zoo officials said “Red, White and Blue Day” was the first of its kind at Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo, and they hope to make it a yearly event moving forward.

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Louisiana

Louisiana grand jury’s role in legal proceedings explained

Published

16 hours ago

July 4, 2026

Press Room

Louisiana grand jury’s role in legal proceedings explained

(KTAL/KMSS) – The ongoing saga of Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill has many commentators on social media questioning what the grand jury process entails.

A grand jury is unlike a trial jury. A trial jury hears a case and decides a defendant’s guilt or innocence. The purpose of the grand jury is to determine if there is sufficient evidence against a defendant to bring them to trial.

The evidence viewed by a grand jury only represents what the state government considers just cause to bring charges in a case. They do not render verdicts; instead, they indict, which is a formal accusation or a decision that a person should be tried for their alleged crimes in a court of law.

In Louisiana, the grand jury is empanelled for a six-month service term. Occasionally, a special grand jury may be empanelled for eighteen months. Grand jurors are selected by lot from a pool of at least 300 prospective jurors. The number of grand jurors is specified by the court.

Once a grand jury is selected, the process becomes cloaked in privacy as names are sealed in envelopes and locked in sealed boxes. The clerk of court in the parish prepares subpoenas ordering pool members to appear on the date set forth by the court for grand jury selection.

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Louisiana

Louisiana Supreme Court recalls Liz Murrill’s arrest warrant in late-night emergency ruling

Published

1 day ago

July 4, 2026

Press Room

Louisiana Supreme Court recalls Liz Murrill’s arrest warrant in late-night emergency ruling

The Louisiana Supreme Court in an emergency order late Friday night agreed to recall an arrest warrant for Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, after issuing a ruling earlier in the day to stay her indictment from an Orleans Parish grand jury.

The grand jury indicted Murrill on Thursday, charging her with 16 felony counts of malfeasance in office and intimidation. Orleans Criminal District Court Judge Leon Roche issued an alias capias arrest warrant and set Murrill’s bond at $400,000.

The attorney general quickly asked the state Supreme Court to intervene, who responded with an order Friday morning that stayed the indictment.

But by late Friday, Murrill went back to the high court alleging that the special prosecutor appointed to her case, former New Orleans judge Laurie White, had refused to recall the alias capias arrest warrant despite the stay.

“I object to the removal of the capias (warrant), as the accused should not get any more preferential treatment than any other criminally charged defendant,” White allegedly told Murrill’s legal team, according to their filing to the Supreme Court.

The Louisiana Supreme Court issued another order late Friday night, saying it was “in order to add clarity and specificity where none should have been required.” The order recalled Murrill’s arrest warrant, ordered White and law enforcement to remove the warrant from law enforcement databases, and ordered White and law enforcement to “take all necessary actions to comply with this Order.”

The court’s vote on recalling the warrant was 4-3, with Justices Billy Burris, Cade Cole, Jefferson Hughes and Jay McCallum voting in the majority. Chief Justice John Weimer and Justices Piper Griffin and John Michael Guidry each dissented. Weimer and Guidry had also dissented earlier Friday from the decision to stay Murrill’s indictment; Griffin had voted in favor of the stay.

“It is said that procedure is the handmaiden of substance, but in criminal cases procedural rules are indispensable to serve justice and ensure that all are treated equally,” Weimer wrote in his Friday night dissent over recalling the warrant. “Yet, ironically, on the eve of this July 4th when our nation will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, this court is once again called upon to provide exceptions to the normal process pursuant to another feigned emergency by one party.”

Griffin wrote in a dissent that recalling the warrant goes to the merits of the case. Guidry wrote in his dissent that the majority had elevated “power and privilege over process.”

“This is yet another unprecedented preferential act by the majority bestowing a privilege that no other criminally charged defendant can reasonably expect to receive,” Guidry wrote.

This is a developing story, check back later for more.

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