Sooners run-rule Liberty, push record win streak to 71
NORMAN — OU softball is settling in nicely to its new Love’s Field home.
A day after opening with a nail-biter, the Sooners didn’t have much of a cause for concern Saturday, with a pair of fiveinning wins — 8-0 over Louisiana in the opener and 15-3 over Liberty in the second game.
OU’s NCAA-record winning streak is now at 71.
After a sluggish start to the season, the Sooners’ bats continued to surge.
Alyssa Brito went 4 for 5 with five runs and four RBIs in the doubleheader. In the opener, she had three doubles, driving in two and scoring thrice.
“For me as a hitter, I just need to know a speed and a tendency and that’s kind of what I go off of,” Brito said. “Just kind of settling in. I love the crowd noise. I love getting amped and kind of feeling from the other girls in the dugout, too.”
Brito said the feeling with not only her but the rest of the team was much more comfortable Saturday than it was Friday.
“I felt like yesterday it kind of, since it was the first time we’ve been on there, it felt like a new home,” Brito said. “Kind of just like a visiting team in a way. But now we kind of got a feel for it and got a feel for the crowd too.”
Kierston Deal continues to thrive
After struggling through her outings in the opening weekend, sophomore Kierston Deal has been a force for the Sooners in the circle.
Deal continued that momentum Saturday, throwing four scoreless innings in the win over Louisiana.
Over her last three outings, Deal (3-0) has pitched 16 shutout innings, allowing seven hits and four walks with 18 strikeouts.
She lowered her season ERA to 1.13. “There was a lot of confidence there,” Sooners coach Patty Gasso said. “It’s been really fun to watch her — well, it wasn’t fun to watch her first appearance, but to see her response to it has been really incredible. It’s a good testimony to just believing in yourself. She got that back and she didn’t let it lay it all out on that first weekend. So I’ve been really happy with her performance.”
The only blip on OU’s day pitchingwise came in the fifth inning against Liberty, when Kelly Maxwell was touched up for a pair of home runs.
Patty Gasso continues to juggle lineups
Gasso is known for her regular lineup maneuverings.
Her batting order in the opener was a doozy, moving typical leadoff hitter Jayda Coleman into the ninth spot and leading off with Rylie Boone.
“We’re really into analytics,” Gasso said. “And it does make a difference. And they know that. It’s not, ‘Oh, Jayda all of a sudden you’re in the nine.’ It’s strategic. We set them up for success by what pitcher is on the mound and who — maybe I like balls that are up and it’s a down-ball pitcher. Maybe I should be lower in the lineup or maybe I make a switch. I mean it’s all about that. Or sometimes I’m just trying to get some of these guys off their feet a little bit. Boone’s been hit. Boone’s been really hot.”
It worked.
Boone went 2 for 3 with a run in the first game, while Coleman was 1 for 2 with a run.
In the second game, Coleman was back to the top of the order, going 3 for 3 with two runs and two RBIs.
“I like it, though,” Coleman said of hitting at the bottom of the order. “You get to watch everybody else and learn from their mistakes. Because for the last year or two I’ve been the one that’s had to be the guinea pig and have to relay the information.”
Sanders breaks out of slump
Cydney Sanders didn’t start the opener at first base, instead giving way there to Riley Ludlam.
But in the second game, Sanders appeared to have turned a corner, leading off the second inning with a homer to left center.
The next inning, she ran into some fortune on her bases-loaded high pop into short left field.
The sun and the wind combined to help give Sanders a three-run double. She also drew a walk in the game. Sanders was hit by a pitch in the opener after delivering an RBI single in Friday’s nightcap.
After going hitless last weekend at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, Sanders has bounced back.