OU Softball: Oklahoma Routs Utah 10-3

The Sooners had an early offensive outburst and got good relief pitching as Utah hung around and forced the full seven innings.

An early offensive outburst was all Oklahoma needed this time — that and seven innings.

The No. 2-ranked Sooners busted out the bats early and routed Utah 10-3 on a rainy Saturday at the Mary Nutter Classic in Cathedral City, CA.

OU was in position to run-rule the Utes early after scoring six runs in the second inning, but the Sooners couldn’t finish strong offensively as Utah hung around.

OU improved to 11-1 overall while Utah fell to 9-4.

Oklahoma fell into an early hole when Utah’s Aliya Belarde slashed a line drive under a diving Rylie Boone’s glove in left field and raced home with an inside-the-park home run.

But the Sooners quickly got that run back — and more — when Jayda Coleman led off the bottom of the first with a walk and came home on Grace Lyons’ RBI double to left center field.

Tiare Jennings then gave OU a 3-1 lead with a two-run blast over the wall in left-center. It was Jennings’ second home run of the season.

Oklahoma broke it open in the second inning as Sophia Nugent was hit in the arm by a pitch, and scored from first on Alynah Torres’ RBI double into the left field corner.

OU’s big inning continued when Coleman singled with one out and Jennings walked to load the bases. Haley Lee bounced a ball that was booted at second base with two out, scoring Torres and keeping the bases loaded, and bringing red hot freshman Jocelyn Erickson came to the plate.

Erickson rocketed a line drive double to the wall in left field that scored Coleman and Jennings for a 7-1 Oklahoma lead.

Alyssa Brito also came up clutch with a bloop single into shallow right field that brought home Lee and Erickson and put the Sooners up 9-1.

Jordy Bahl got the start for Oklahoma and, other than the inside-the-park homer, was on cruise control for two innings before running into minor trouble in the third and fourth.

Bahl opened the inning with a quick strikeout and groundout, but then yielded a bunt single, an infield single by Belarde, and a walk to Ellessa Bonstrom to load the bases.

Bahl then induced a sharp ground ball to third from Julia Jimenez that Brito gathered on one hop to her left, but the speedy Belarde beat Brito to the bag at third, allowing Haley Denning to score.

Utah touched up Bahl again in the fourth as Karlie Davison smashed a solo home run to make it 9-3.

The Sooners responded again, though, this time with two outs.

After Lyons struck out and Jennings grounded out, Lee walked. Erickson smashed an opposite field line drive off the wall in left to put runners at second and third.

Kinzie Hansen provided the RBI with a chopper up the middle that scored Lee from third and gave the Sooners a 10-3 lead. OU nearly got back to run-rule territory but Boone’s line drive to short was caught by Davison for the third out.

In the top of the fifth, Utah threatened again, but Bahl ended the potential rally with a ground ball that Lyons turned into a double play.

Oklahoma put the clinching run on base when Torres walked to lead off the bottom of the fifth. After Lyons struck out, Jennings slapped a single to right but Lee grounded out.

Nicole May replaced Bahl with one out in the sixth and quickly logged a strikeout and a groundout.

Bahl (4-1) finished the day by pitching 5 1/3 innings and giving up three runs on five hits (two home runs) and two walks with five strikeouts.

May got the extra work and was strong in relief, finishing 1 2/3 innings without allowing a baserunner and striking out two.

After the morning game started 18 minutes late, OU is back on the field Saturday for a game originally scheduled for 2 p.m. against Loyola Marymount.

The Sooners conclude their schedule Sunday with an 11:30 a.m. showdown with No. 1-ranked UCLA.