‘Chip on shoulder,’ OU softball avenges loss to UT

OKLAHOMA CITY — This Oklahoma softball juggernaut is already safe as one of many biggest groups of all time.

However on Saturday, after cruising to a 7-2 win over arch-rival Texas to maneuver to 56-2 on the season, OU star Jocelyn Alo mentioned these two losses labored as motivation because the Sooners superior to the Girls’s School World Collection semifinals for the sixth consecutive 12 months.

After beating the Longhorns, Alo pointed again to that April 16 loss, when Texas snapped the Sooners’ document 40-game profitable streak as Texas pitcher Hailey Dolcini gave up simply two hits in a 4-2 upset.

“I believe we had the sting this time, little little bit of a chip on our shoulder,” Alo mentioned. “Final time we had confronted Dolcini she shut us out. And nobody shuts out the Sooners. We had one thing to show for positive.”

To Alo’s level, the Sooners have scored 20 runs of their first two video games, tied with the 1995 Arizona Wildcats for the second-most in WCWS historical past. General, by way of the postseason, Oklahoma has outscored opponents 72-7 and has not given up greater than two runs in any recreation.

Hope Trautwein bought the win for the Sooners, throwing an entire recreation whereas giving up two runs on six hits.

Alo matched these two runs in her first at-bat towards Dolcini on Saturday, hitting a house run to left discipline within the first inning to drive in leadoff hitter Jayda Coleman.

Dolcini settled in after these first two at-bats however finally gave up 5 runs in six hits on 4⅓ innings, together with a spectacular homer to left discipline by Tiare Jennings that landed within the second-to-last row within the bleachers.

“I’ve seen a whole lot of far dwelling runs however that was elevated to permit her to essentially get beneath it and get her energy in it,” coach Patty Gasso mentioned. “It was positively one other momentum builder for the crew.”

The highest 5 hitters within the OU lineup — Coleman, Alo, Jennings, Grace Lyons and Alyssa Brito — had 9 of crew’s 10 hits and all 7 RBI.

Texas coach Mike White mentioned the Oklahoma lineup is sort of a “assassin’s row,” however even realizing that, he mentioned the Sooners are nonetheless troublesome to pin down.

“Saying that assassin’s row, they maintain altering it,” White mentioned, laughing. “It is just like the row adjustments and whoever’s not hitting they change them in there.”

The Sooners will subsequent play on Monday. They will face whoever wins Sunday afternoon’s recreation between No. 5 UCLA or Florida.

The sport featured a historic footnote as the primary School World Collection recreation on community tv, airing on ABC. Gasso, who’s been the Oklahoma coach since 1996, took an opportunity to mirror on the game’s development.

“It is an absolute honor,” she mentioned. “To assume that we’re in a recreation on ABC is only a wow issue.”

Oklahoma State 2, Florida 0: Kelly Maxwell threw a three-hitter and struck out 9, and No. 7 seed Oklahoma State beat No. 14 Florida 2-0 to advance to the Girls’s School World Collection semifinals.

Maxwell (21-4), a first-team NFCA All-American, struck out 14 in a win over Arizona on Thursday.

Chyenne Issue had two hits and knocked in a run for the Cowgirls (48-12).

Lexie Delbrey (15-4) took the loss for Florida.

The Related Press contributed to this report.