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OU Softball: Oklahoma Survives Long Beach State Push in 11 Innings

The Sooners needed more than three hours to down Long Beach State in a pitcher's duel on Sunday.
Ryan Chapman|
Oklahoma Sooners starting pitcher Kierston Deal
Oklahoma Sooners starting pitcher Kierston Deal | Brett Rojo-Imagn Images

Patty Gasso’s return to her alma mater turned into an old school defensive battle on Sunday afternoon.

The No. 2-ranked Sooners took on Long Beach State, and after Gasso threw the game’s ceremonial first pitch, her own hurler took center stage. 

OU left-hander Kierston Deal carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning, and the Sooners needed every out while the offense struggled to cash in on baserunners. 

The offense eventually went from failing to convert chances to getting stuck in the mud, resulting in an 11-inning war with the Beach.

Utah transfer Abigale Dayton finally broke the deadlock in the top of the 11th. 

She doubled to the wall to bring Isabela Emerling across the plate. 

The first run of the day was the only run the Sooners needed to escape with a 2-0 win, though Ella Parker did bring Dayton home with a single, and OU moved to 6-0 on the year. 

Sunday was the longest Oklahoma had been held without a run since Alabama held OU scoreless for eight innings in the Crimson Tide's 1-0 win over the Sooners at the 2019 Women's College World Series.

The Sooners offense got close early, but struggled to find a breakthrough. 

Oklahoma loaded the bases with one out in the top of the first, which brought freshman Tia Milloy up to the plate. 

She hammered a ball toward shortstop Selena Perez, and Perez made a great catch and was able to shuttle the ball back to second before Ella Parker could get back to the bag to pull of the double play to end the threat. 

Nelly McEnroe-Marinas’ single to lead the second inning off amounted to nothing after Emerling and Gabbie Garcia struck out to end the inning, then OU loaded the bases up again in the third. 

Parker and Cydney Sanders both drew walks, and then Milloy was hit with two outs to bring McEnroe-Marinas up to bat. 

Long Beach State pitcher Brynne Nally won the battle with the OU third baseman, however, and struck out the Sooners’ captain to end the third. 

It was then the hosts who nearly broke the deadlock in the fourth. 

Kierston Deal still hadn’t allowed a hit, but leadoff hitter Jacquelyn Bickar walked to start the inning. 

Long Beach State then bunted to move the runner over to second, and got a long fly out that gave Bickar enough time to tag up and advance to third. 

Catcher Rebekah Durzao then looked as if she was going to drop a single into the shallows in center field, but Dayton charged in to make a diving grab to end the fourth and help Deal out of the jam. 

Bickar was then in the thick of the action again in the fifth. 

With a pair on and one out, Sanders singled through the left side, and Gasso waived Parker to round third and head home. 

Bickar fielded the ball calmly in left field and rocketed it home, beating Parker by multiple steps for the second out of the inning. 

Milloy then was charged a strike for a pitch clock violation down 0-2 to record the third out in the top of the fifth, stranding another pair of Oklahoma runners. 

McEnroe-Marinas could only watch from second as her leadoff double was wasted in the sixth as well, which ramped up the pressure on the four-time defending national champions. 

Parker singled in the seventh and Kasidi Pickering doubled to give the Sooners a pair of runners in scoring position with one out, but again Oklahoma couldn’t come up with a clutch hit. 

Sanders struck out, and pinch hitter Sydney Barker hit the ball off the end of the bat which was turned into the final out of the frame. 

Deal’s no-hitter bid finally came to a close to start the bottom of the seventh on a soft infield single by Carly Robbins.

Gasso then turned to Paytn Monticelli out of the bullpen, and she got an outstanding play from her defense. 

Makayla Medellin hit a fly ball to shallow left field, and Pickering did well to read it off the bat and make the catch, but she wasn’t done. Pickering saw pinch runner Erica Estrada too far off first base and she lasered the ball over to Sanders to double up Long Beach State and record the second out. 

Oklahoma associate head coach and pitching coach Jennifer Rocha then handed the ball to Campbell transfer Isabella Smith to record the final out of the inning. 

The Sooners’ offense went down in order in the eighth, and Smith issued a four pitch walk to start the bottom half of the inning. 

Gasso’s defense helped Smith out with another double play, then neither team got anything going in the ninth. 

The breakthrough finally came in the 11th on Dayton’s RBI-double. Parker added an insurance run with an RBI-single, but she was thrown out at second to end the top of the 11th and Smith went back out to secure the win. 

Smith sat Long Beach State down without incident, finally closing out the Sunday marathon in Los Angeles. 

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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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