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OU Softball: Jordy Bahl Shines as Oklahoma Shells Missouri

Oklahoma's Jordy Bahl combined with Kierston Deal to shut out Missouri to advance the Sooners to Sunday's Regional Final at Marita Hynes Field.
Ryan Chapman|
OU Softball: Jordy Bahl Shines as Oklahoma Shells Missouri
OU Softball: Jordy Bahl Shines as Oklahoma Shells Missouri

NORMAN — Jordy Bahl enjoyed her first postseason appearance at Marita Hynes Field.

The Oklahoma pitcher dominated the 2022 regular season, but was limited in last year’s NCAA Tournament by an arm injury.

This year, the flame-throwing right-hander wasted no time making her presence felt.

Bahl retired the first nine Missouri batters of the game, ensuring the Tigers couldn’t work their way into the contest.

Oklahoma’s offense backed their pitcher, blasting past their former Big 12 foes 11-0 in six innings to advance to Sunday’s Regional Final.

“Jordy did a great job starting the game the way she did,” OU coach Patty Gasso said after the game. “Just really pounding the zone… Really shutting Missouri's offense down. I loved how we scored early and then we just started scoring often.

“… There's nothing I could pick apart that I wasn't really pleased with.”

Bahl still tried to help the team prepare, but she was excited to play a leading role in this year’s trek toward Oklahoma City.

“Last year obviously I was on the sideline watching from the dugout,” Bahl said. “Still learning a lot from everything that was going on, but it's definitely fun this year to be able to be out there.” 

The win moved OU’s win streak to 45 games, and the Sooners are 52-1 on the year.

Missouri dropped to the loser’s bracket and fell to 34-10-1 overall.

Though Bahl was locked in early, it was actually Oklahoma’s offense that struck first.

Playing as the road team in their home ballpark, Sooner batters Jayda Coleman drew a leadoff walk and Haley Lee singled to put immediate pressure on the Tigers.

First baseman Cydney Sanders opened the scoring, roping a single down the left field line to clear the bases and put OU up 2-0.

With the postseason underway, Sanders is trying to keep things simple to continue her hot hitting streak that closed the regular season.

“Just staying focused to my game plan,” she said. “Just trusting my hitting and just going from there. Not really doing too much.”

Bahl needed just 13 pitches to work through the bottom half of the first, and then she needed just six pitches to get out of the second inning. 

The atmosphere at Maria Hynes Field continued to fuel the right-handed pitcher, though it came as no surprise to Bahl.

“It's just as loud as it always is,” Bahl said. “The fans always bring something special to the stadium. But they're consistent, man. Regular season, postseason, they're there.”

Oklahoma added to end in the third.

With one out, Lee doubled to bring Coleman home for her second run of the game.

In the next at-bat, catcher Kinzie Hansen brought Lee home.

Hansen blasted the 1-0 delivery into the top row of the stands in left center field, putting the Sooners up 5-0 with her 11th home run of the year. 

OU got aggressive in the fourth inning to try and push the lead to six.

Rylie Boone stole second to put runners on second and third for Coleman.

The star center fielder made good contact, but flew out to right field.

Gasso decided to test the arm of Missouri’s Payton Jackson, directing Alyssa Brito home, but Jackson stood tall.

She fired in a throw on target to catcher Julia Crenshaw, easily beating Brito’s slide to end the inning.

Trying to build on the momentum of the defensive play, Missouri finally got a baserunner.

Tigers shortstop Jenna Laird drew a leadoff walk to end Bahl’s perfect game bid.

Bahl responded with a strikeout, but Kara Daly singled back up the middle to put runners on the corners for Missouri.

Unbothered, Bahl relied on sure-handed defensive play from Brito at third base before firing her sixth strikeout of the day to work out of the jam.

The fourth inning walk and hit were the only two baserunners Bahl allowed, as she struck out seven of the 17 batters she faced in five complete innings.

Lee continued her stellar day with alert base running in the fifth.

She swiped both third base and home plate on a pair of wild pitches from Missouri reliever Megan Schumacher, putting the Sooners up 6-0.

Gasso has been really pleased with the mindset show by Lee and the other seniors, as both Lee and senior shortstop Grace Lyons have had a pair of impactful weekends for OU.

“I think what's really great about these seniors right now is they know this is it and they are not pressing for it,” Gasso said. “They're just letting themselves be free. Haley Lee looks like she's the ball so big. So just comfortable. Confident.”

It turned out the result would have been the same if Lee had stayed parked on second base, as Sanders launched the next pitch over the scoreboard toward Home Run Village behind Marita Hynes Field. 

Tiare Jennings added an RBI on a sacrifice fly in the top of the sixth, putting a run-rule into play. Quincee Lilio later drew a two-out, bases loaded walk and Grace Green delivered two more RBIs to balloon the lead to 11-0.

Gasso turned to true freshman Kierston Deal to close out the win in the bottom of the sixth.

Deal struck out a pair before inducing a popup to end the contest.

The Sooners will now sit tight while the loser’s bracket works itself out.

Oklahoma will meet whoever emerges tomorrow at 1 p.m. at Marita Hynes Field, and OU will need just one win to advance to next weekend’s Super Regionals. 

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Ryan Chapman
RYAN CHAPMAN

Ryan is co-publisher at Sooners On SI and covers a number of sports in and around Norman and Oklahoma City. Working both as a journalist and a sports talk radio host, Ryan has covered the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the United States Men’s National Soccer Team, the Oklahoma City Energy and more. Since 2019, Ryan has simultaneously pursued a career as both a writer and a sports talk radio host, working for the Flagship for Oklahoma sports, 107.7 The Franchise, as well as AllSooners.com. Ryan serves as a contributor to The Franchise’s website, TheFranchiseOK.com, which was recognized as having the “Best Website” in 2022 by the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters. Ryan holds an associate’s degree in Journalism from Oklahoma City Community College in Oklahoma City, OK. 

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