OU Softball: Oklahoma Blasts Past the Tigers, Ties All-Time Win Streak
NORMAN — Oklahoma doesn’t run from a fight.
The top-seeded Sooners found themselves under pressure on Friday, and it only served to anger Patty Gasso's team.
National Player of the Year finalist Valerie Cagle and her 16-seeded Clemson Tigers cut into OU’s lead in the fifth inning.
Oklahoma’s response?
A no-out grand slam from Haley Lee followed up by a solo bomb from Alyssa Brito.
In a flash, the Sooners flipped a close contest into a potential run-rule, closing out Clemson 9-2 at Marita Hynes Field.
Now, the Sooners are one win away from the Women’s College World Series, and Oklahoma made some history in the process.
With the win, OU equaled Arizona’s record 47-game streak set in 1996-1997, and the Sooners are now 55-1 on the year.
Clemson dropped to 49-11, and will fight for its tournament life in Saturday’s Game 2.
“I just felt a gritty… gritty performance by the team,” Gasso said after the game. “It wasn't our best performance defensively, which was very uncharacteristic. But what I loved is that the team rallied once they scored two.”
Far from a typical Super Regional weekend, Marita Hynes and a host of notable OU alumni were in the house to celebrate the final postseason run at Martia Hynes Field.
The back-to-back blasts sent the sellout crowd into a frenzy, shaking the stadium in its final postseason run.
Jayda Coleman roars to life in Oklahoma's win over Clemson.
John E. Hoover / AllSooners
Shaky fielding from the Sooners helped Clemson post a pair of runs in the top of the fifth, cutting the OU advantage to 4-2.
The miscues didn't faze Oklahoma.
Rylie Boone, Jayda Coleman and Tiare Jennings loaded the bases up in three straight at-bats to start the inning, and Lee blew the top off Marita Hynes Field with a no-doubter to center field.
“You could feel it building,” Gasso said. “You could hear the dugout change their tone even more as — when it gets really consecutive like that they just go crazy.
“And it's just like a wave that's ready to break on you. And (Lee’s) the wave breaker.”
Haley Lee delivered in the big moment for Oklahoma, blasting a grand slam in the fifth inning.
John E. Hoover / AllSooners
Still, with momentum building and the crowd revving up to a roar, Lee took some direction from her teammate on third base to stay under control in the moment.
“Truthfully you're thinking just do something to help the runners advance,” Lee said. “… I looked down to third base and Boone's just like, 'Slow it down. Find your pitch.'
“So I really just was like if she throws it over I'll take my pitch. If not I'm happy with a walk. Just finding our pitch and slowing the game down for myself was kind of the process.”
Not to be outdone, Brito added to the damage, putting the Sooners up 9-2 before John Rittman’s Tigers knew what hit them.
With all the momentum in hand, Gasso let pitcher Jordy Bahl record the first out of the sixth inning before turning to Alex Storako to close the contest.
Bahl allowed eight hits and hit two batters in 5 1/3 innings, firing six strikeouts while only one of Clemson’s two runs scored was an earned run.
Though the Sooners did a big chunk of their damage in the fifth inning, OU was dialed in on Cagle from the start.
Oklahoma’s first three batters all sent balls to the warning track, including a sacrifice fly from Lee that plated Coleman to give the Sooners a 1-0 lead after one.
A passed ball then allowed Grace Lyons to score in the second, doubling the advantage.
Grace Lyons slides home to put the Sooners up 2-0 on Clemson in the second inning.
John E. Hoover / AllSooners
Bahl worked out of a jam in the top of the fourth inning to keep Clemson off the board, and Cydney Sanders added a two-run blast in the bottom half of the inning as it appeared the Sooners would stroll to a win.
But nervy defense finally caught up with the Sooners in the fifth.
Cagle dropped her third hit of the game into shallow left field, and Boone tried to fire the ball to second base to throw out McKenzie Clark.
Instead, Boone missed her target, allowing Clark and Cagle to each take an extra base and stop at second and third.
Caroline Jacobsen made Boone pay for the mistake, belting a bouncer into the left field corner to cut the lead to 4-2.
Typically reliable at third baseman, Brito then committed an error allowing the Tigers to put runners on first and second with still only one out.
Brito struggled again in the next at-bat, fumbling a hard-hit grounder to allow Maddie Moore to reach and load the bases for Clemson.
Rittman called time to discuss the situation with his baserunners, and Gasso took the opportunity to dart out to the mound and settle down the infield.
She didn’t need long to convey her message, as it was a simple directive for Bahl and the defense/
“We're fine,” Gasso said. They could have scored a lot more in that situation. We're fine.
“Just be who you are. Play the game. We'll get through it. We'll answer, a lot of game left. Just simple.”
Gasso’s words clearly hit home with Bahl.
The dominant right-hander strike out Vieira before getting Hyatt to line out to Jennings and limit the damage to just two runs.
Oklahoma pitcher Jordy Bahl allowed just one earned run against Clemson on Friday.
John E. Hoover / AllSooners
Lee and Brito then opened up the game in the bottom half of the fifth, and Storako brought the Sooners home.
Storako set the Tigers down in order in the seventh, closing our her first taste of Super Regional action at Marita Hynes Field in style.
The win was far from perfect, but Gasso was proud of her team’s response to adversity.
“Rallied for Jordy. Rallied for Brito,” Gasso said. “… There were a couple of things that went on that's just not us.
“So to see them step up the way they did and scored very quickly, it was a testament to feeling adversity and answering that call. And that's what they did.
Oklahoma and Clemson will meet again in the second and potentially decisive game of the Norman Super Regional on Saturday at 12 p.m.
A Sooner win would send OU to the WCWS, while the Tigers need a win to stay alive in the NCAA Tournament.
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