Oklahoma Softball: On Alo's Historic Night, Pitching Shines Again in Another Run Rule

Oklahoma hitters know a thing or two about making history.

After a national championship season in which the Sooners set the all-time single-season record with 161 home runs, OU slugger Jocelyn Alo separated herself as the greatest home run hitter in college softball.

Alo finally broke former Sooner Lauren Chamberlain’s NCAA mark for home runs with her 96th career homer late Friday night in an 11-0 victory over Hawaii at the Rainbow Wahine Classic in her home state — only 30 miles from her hometown.

As big a story as Alo’s home run chase has been, it was Hope Trautwein who turned in a suffocating pitching performance in Honolulu — the Sooners’ second of the day.

Less than an hour after freshman Jordy Bahl turned in another impressive pitching performance against Cal, Trautwein was even better with a complete-game two-hitter with 13 strikeouts.

As good as Trautwein was in the circle, the night belonged to Alo, who made history in the sixth inning with her 96th career home run. As Hawaii coach Bob Coolen and pitcher Ashley Murphy stood firm and challenged Alo in the batter’s box, Alo didn’t disappoint her home-state fans, smashing a line drive over the wall in right field to put the Sooners up 9-0.

Afterward, Coolen placed a Hawaiian lei around Alo's neck — appropriate for the new home run queen.

No. 1-ranked Oklahoma improved to 18-0 on the season with 15 run rule wins. That trend might continue as long as the Sooners get the kind of pitching performances they got on Friday.

Trautwein gave up a one-out double in the first inning and a single in the sixth and nothing else. She finished with a season-high 13 strikeouts and issued just one walk.

Her pitching was huge as OU batters left 16 runners on base throughout the night, including the bases loaded in the first, second, third and fifth innings.

It was the Sooners’ second game of the day and third game of the weekend. Earlier in the evening, OU run ruled Cal 8-0, one day after the Sooners run ruled Baylor 12-3 in a non-conference meeting.

For most of the nightcap, the Rainbow Wahine were a much stiffer test for college softball’s defending national champ.

Alo nearly set the record in the first inning against Hawaii when she hammered a 3-2 pitch from Murphy off the right field wall for an RBI double. The ball missed leaving the park by a matter of inches, but after Grace Lyons scored from first for a 1-0 OU lead, Alo was thrown out at third base trying to leg out a triple.

Elam led off the third inning by smashing a 1-2 offering from Murphy over the wall in left field for a 2-0 lead.

OU made it 3-0 when Rylie Boone delivered a sacrifice bunt that scored Jayda Coleman.

The lead swelled to 5-0 when Lyons and Boone scored on a fielding error by Rachel Sabourin at third base on a ground ball by Tiare Jennings.

After her first-inning RBI single, Alo was walked twice in a couple of competitive at-bats with Murphy — Murphy finished with 12 walks — and then hit a leadoff single in the fifth inning.

The Sooners broke it open in the sixth as Lyons — now on a career-best 16-game hitting streak — scored Brito with a double down the left field line. Boone scored on a wild pitch to Alo, and Alo’s two-run homer made it 9-0. Lynnsie Elam reached on an error that scored Tiare Jennings, and Jana Johns scored on Mackenzie Donihoo’s groundout for an 11-0 lead.

OU coach Patty Gasso said Monday that Alo had become “frustrated” with opposing teams refusing to pitch to her, but she has gotten to see some pitches in Honolulu. Baylor threw to her and she delivered two hits and three RBIs, and both Cal and Hawaii were in the strike zone.

Alo badly wants to top the mark in her home state in front of countless family, friends and admirers. She hails from nearby Hauula.

Alo can now add to her record as the Sooners rematch with Hawaii on Saturday at 4 p.m. CT.