Oklahoma Softball: Sooners Run Rule Minnesota

Jocelyn Alo's home run chase was put on hold again by more walks, but the OU crowd was entertained with its first home game of the season.

NORMAN — A stiff breeze blowing in from center field and 40-degree temperatures couldn’t deter Sooner Nation from filling Marita Hynes Field to the brim.

Not with softball history on the line.

Alas, history was delayed as home run queen Jocelyn Alo never got a chance to swing the bat, leaving her tied for the NCAA mark with Oklahoma legend Lauren Chamberlain at 95 career home runs.

Still, the No. 1-ranked Sooners, finally playing before a sellout home crowd of 1,531 after a month on the road, rolled to an easy 9-1 victory over Minnesota.

OU improved to 16-0 while Minnesota fell to 11-7.

Alo tied Chamberlain's mark on Feb. 20 but hasn't had much chance to swing the bat since. Alo does what she can to stay patient, but coach Patty Gasso said it's hard.

"It's frustrating," Gasso said, "because a hitter wants to hit. So, (Alo) had a good attitude with it. She's doing what she needs to do for the team. But there's frustration because she's been waiting to swing for a while."

While teams continue to pitch around Alo, her teammates have continued to hit in front of her and behind her in the batting order. 

"They just keep it real light," Gasso said. "I think Jocy says it very clearly, 'This is not about me.' And she doesn't make it about her. We don't talk about the record. We don't say 'OK, this could be your day.' I mean, I'm hoping people aren't. I think sometimes our players are answering questions about it. But when you feel the locker room, you don't feel that buzz, like, 'This could be the day.' We just go out and try to win. And we want this to be very natural for Jocy, not pressed."

Rylie Boone, Grace Lyons, Tiare Jennings and Jana Johns each had two RBIs and Kinzie Hansen and Taylon Snow each had two hits for the Sooners.

Oklahoma took a quick 1-0 lead in the first inning when Alo scored from third on Snow’s single to the right side.

The Gophers tied it in the second inning, however, when Chloe Evans scored on Ellee Jensen’s single to shortstop.

OU got that run back in the second when Alyssa Brito scored from first on Boone’s triple to right.

Two more runs scored on Johns’ double off the wall in right-center field that brought home Alo and Boone to give the Sooners a 4-0 lead.

OU added three more in the third — one on Boone’s bases-loaded walk and two on Jennings’ single up the middle that scored Brito and Jayda Coleman for two unearned runs and a 7-1 lead.

Lyons made it 9-1 in the fourth she she smashed a two-run double to the right-center gap and scored Snow and Hansen.

Freshman Jordy Bahl (7-0) struggled at times with the strike zone but gave up just one run over three innings of work, yielding three hits, three walks and two wild pitches.

"Jordy struggled a bit and it was good for her to feel that," Gasso said. "Think she had a little bit of nerves. But again, it's pitchers dealing with the cold and you saw that tonight."

Sophomore Nicole May pitched the final two innings and didn’t allow a run.

Alo’s afternoon was anticlimactic as Minnesota simply declined the opportunity to pitch to her.

In the first inning, Alo drew a four-pitch walk. In the second, with Boone at third base and the hot-hitting Johns on deck, she was intentionally walked. In the third, with runners at first and second and two out, Alo took her first cut of the day, then took four straight balls.

Maybe it’s serendipity that Alo didn’t hit one out. She’ll resume her chase this weekend in her home state of Hawaii when the Sooners play Baylor, Cal and Hawaii (twice).

Members of Alo’s family have traveled to the mainland to watch her throughout her storied career, so it would only be appropriate for her to set the mark on the Islands.

"I think it means the world to her," Gasso said. "It could be a special moment or she may not get that opportunity. It's just up to the other teams and how they look at it.

"You all know what the big question is," Gasso said. "And that is, 'is she going to get a chance to even have that opportunity?' And that's where the frustration comes in. And she gets it. And she's (focused on) just what's gonna help us win games. Right? But I think it's gotten out there like, 'Who's going to be the team that gives it up? It's not going to be us.' Yeah. So no, we're just waiting patiently for when she gets a pitch. That's all we can do." 

OU plays Baylor Thursday night at 7:30, Cal on Friday at 7:30, followed by Hawaii at 10 p.m. and Hawaii again Saturday at 4 p.m. (CT).