OU Softball: Oklahoma Rounds Out Perfect Hall of Fame Classic With Win Over Auburn
OKLAHOMA CITY — After an explosive offensive performance on Saturday, the pitchers took center stage to close the Hall of Fame Classic on Sunday.
Oklahoma’s Alex Storako and Auburn’s Maddie Penta battled, fooling both offenses for a large portion of the contest.
But a four-run fifth inning was the difference, as OU overpowered the Tigers 7-1 at Hall of Fame Stadium.
The win moved No. 1 Oklahoma to 27-1 on the year and dropped No. 19 Auburn to 22-9.
“Really complete game,” OU coach Patty Gasso said after the game. “I was really, really happy with all phases.”
Though the Sooners prevailed, the Tigers struck first.
Storako hung a full-count delivery and Nelia Peralta, the first batter of the game, made her pay.
Peralta roped the ball over the fence in left-center field to put Auburn up 1-0
Despite surrendering the lead, Storako steadied and struck out two of the next three batters to limit the damage to just the single run.
Storako credited her ability to respond to having a great understanding of her own pitch arsenal and how to mentally work through a tough lineup.
“I think a big part of being able to build on that is just feeling out where you are within a day,” she said. “… Really buying into what your pitches are doing that day can be different than what they were doing yesterday or the day before that.
“So being able to understand yourself and grow upon that and realize how your pitches are working and being able to combat that with a lineup like Auburn’s is really fun honestly. I think it’s like a game within a game.”
The Sooners almost answered immediately.
Jayda Coleman started the Sooners’ portion of the first inning with a single, and she moved over to second base on a Jocelyn Erickson groundout.
With two outs, Kinzie Hansen looked as if she’d reach on an infield single straight up the middle, but Coleman rounded third and tried to take home.
Auburn second baseman Carlee McCondichie spotted Coleman, and fired the ball home in plenty of time for catcher Aspyn Godwin to tag Coleman out and end the inning.
Both pitchers worked around one-out singles in the second inning, but Coleman soon returned to torment Penta.
With Cydney Sanders already on first, Coleman belted her seventh home run of the year in the third inning to give OU the 2-1 lead.
“Somebody that just continues to showcase herself is Jayda Coleman,” Gasso said. “She’s become one the smartest like, thought process hitters.
“And there’s a small group that live in this elite world like Jocelyn Alo. And I think Jayda Coleman is starting to (live) in that little universe.”
Sanders stepped back into the box in a big spot in the fourth inning.
More clutch two-out hitting form the Sooners put Alyssa Brito on third base and Rylie Boone on first, but Oklahoma was unable to convert.
Penta fooled Sanders by changing speeds, striking out the OU first baseman swinging to end the fourth and keep the score at 2-1.
Gasso kept an arm warming up in the bullpen just in case, but Storako insured any relief wouldn’t be necessary.
The right-hander delivered a season-high 11 strikeouts, topping her previous best this year of eight against Stephen F. Austin on Feb. 18, while allowing just two hits and one walk.
“Alex was just dealing today,” Gasso said. “Really, really outstanding. In charge.”
Storako got more support in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Coleman reached base again, moving to 3-for-3 on the day with a leadoff single.
She didn’t spend much time hanging out on the base paths as Tiare Jennings immediately brought her home with a towering home run deep beyond the left field wall.
An Alynah Torres hit in the next at-bat ended Penta’s day, as Auburn coach Mickey Dean withdrew the junior pitcher and brought in fellow right-hander Shelby Lowe.
The change didn’t matter, as Hansen smashed the fourth pitch she saw from Lowe out of the park near the foul pole in right field to extend the lead to 6-1.
Oklahoma then had a chance to run-rule the Tigers.
With runners on first and second, a home run would have ended the game, but Grace Green and Sanders instead recorded back-to-back outs.
In the sixth inning, Gasso turned to Jordy Bahl to close out the contest.
Bahl retired six of the seven batters she faced, quickly ending the game once she entered the circle.
“The combination of (Storako and) bringing Jordy in is just — it’s almost unfair,” Gasso said. “That’s how it’s feeling sometimes. Glad they’re on our side.”
Coleman kept her perfect day at the plate going with another leadoff single in the bottom of the sixth inning, and after stealing second and third Jennings brought her home with a sacrifice fly to right field.
After playing 10 games in 10 days, the Sooners won’t play again until next weekend.
OU will open Big 12 play with a road series against Iowa State, starting at 4 p.m. on Friday.
“It has just been exhausting,” Gasso said. “And I know that they’re exhausted and it is time to get a well-deserved rest and rejuvenate and start the next one-third of our season.”
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