OU Softball: Oklahoma Finishes Fall With a Weather Delay Flourish

OU and North Central Texas College got in three innings Thursday before weather canceled the game, but the Sooners were sharp in a 7-1 victory.

Oklahoma finished fall ball with a short, wet flourish.

The two-time defending national champion Sooners wrapped up their fall exhibition schedule Thursday with a weather-shortened but efficient 7-1 victory over North Central Texas College at Marita Hynes Field.

The game started just after 2 p.m. and then, with OU up 7-1, entered a weather delay at 3:37 p.m. It was called just before 4:30 — just enough time for OU to unwind a couple of pitchers and unleash some big hits.

Jordy Bahl gave up a run in the top of the first inning off a single, a double and a groundout, but it took almost no time for the Sooners to get it right back.

In the bottom of the first, Tiare Jennings and Kinzie Hansen drew back-to-back walks with one out, and Haley Lee smacked a two-run double to the wall in left center field for a 2-0 lead. Alyssa Brito then smashed a two-run home run to put the Sooners up 4-0.

After a NCTC pitching change, OU added more offense in the second inning when Sophia Nugent led off with a single and Rylie Boone reached on a bunt single that was misplayed at first base. Quincee Lilio then drove a single that slid under the right fielder’s glove to score two runs and put the Sooners up 6-1. Lilio then came home from third on an RBI squeeze bunt by Jayda Coleman.

Bahl’s day was done with one out in the third inning, as she turned the ball over to transfer Alex Storako. Storako got two strikeouts before the weather delay hit.

Afterward, coach Patty Gasso said the Sooners' fall was a smash hit for fans, players and coaches, especially the three intrasquad scrimmages.

“I was very pleased. Very pleased," Gasso said. "With especially the Battle Series and everything that happened with that, just the growth that we had. I would think everyone would want to come watch that because you’re watching All-Americans against All-Americans. And I thought we just got so much better. 

"They were competing. They never got bored. Fans coming out helped them want to play harder. That to me was really the highlight of our fall, just going after each other that way, sellout crowds, television involved — which really helped catapult softball into the fall.”