Oklahoma, G Juarez dominate Team Mexico
SB Game 1 vs. Mexico
NORMAN — If this was, as Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso suggested, a tryout of sorts for pitcher Giselle Juarez, she may have gotten the part.
On Friday night at Marita Hynes Field, in the opener of a three-game series against Team Mexico, Juarez was brilliant in the circle as No. 1-ranked pounded Team Mexico 11-0.
It was probably Juarez’s best outing of the season.
The Mexican National Team already had employed the services of former Sooner Sydney Romero — now on the OU coaching staff — and has OU outfielder Nicole Mendes on the roster. Juarez might be next.
“I think Team Mexico is also very interested in Giselle,” Gasso said. “So I think Giselle has a lot at stake this weekend. I think if she throws well and shows she has good enough stuff to get a lot of outs, she might be part of that team as well. I know they’ve shown a lot of interest.”
Since it’s an international exhibition, the games and the stats do not count officially.
Still, coach Gasso said Thursday she was treating the series as it if was the beginning of Big 12 Conference play.
“We're looking at it like a three-game series weekend. And it's kind of getting us set and ready to start Big 12. We're playing against women, that is no doubt. We're playing against some of the best pitching in the country and in the world, actually. So we've got our work cut out for us, but it's gonna really I believe make us better, one way or the other.”
OU got an RBI single from Lynnsie Elam in the second inning, and Grace Lyons got things going in the third with a solo home run. Jana Jones and Elam delivered RBI singles to make it 4-0.
The Sooners then blew the game open with seven runs in a sixth inning explosion that included two RBI hits from Elam, who had four hits and three RBIs on the night. Tiare Jennings and Taylon Snow had RBI singles, Jayda Coleman had a two-run double, and Lyons drew a bases loaded walk.
In addition to Elam leading the Sooners’ 18-hit parade, Jennings had three hits, and Lyons, Coleman, Mendes and Kinzie Hansen each had two hits.
But Friday’s story was about Juarez, who threw six shutout innings and scattered just two hits and two walks. Juarez struck out four and only faced 22 batters.
She got out of a first-inning jam with a full-count strikeout, then avoided serious trouble in the sixth with a couple of strong defensive plays by her teammates.
Shannon Saile pitched a perfect seventh inning.
The series resumes on Saturday. The Sooners open Big 12 Conference play next weekend at Iowa State.