NORMAN — Kasidi Pickering has solidified herself as the Sooners' leadoff hitter for a reason. Her combination of consistent base hitting and elite power, with the ability to generate walks, has made her a centerpiece of OU's offense.

She showed it in a big way on Saturday.

Pickering delivered three hits, two home runs and six RBIs on three at-bats against California. She punctuated her day with a fourth-inning grand slam that pushed the game into run-rule territory.

The result? The Sooners came away with an 11-2 win over the Golden Bears, advancing them to the Norman Regional on Sunday.

The Sooners got some key plays both offensively and defensively, but it was Pickering's offense that led the way.

"Pickering was just in the zone," OU coach Patty Gasso said. "You could feel that and see that."

It didn't take long for Pickering to get started. She opened the game with a leadoff home run to left centerfield, giving the Sooners an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first.

She approached her second at-bat after the Sooners had loaded the bases with only one out. Pickering delivered with an RBI single, which pushed the Sooners' lead to 2-1. Pickering's single was crucial to keeping the momentum going — Ella Parker and Sydney Barker both followed with RBI singles, as the Sooners scored four runs in the frame.

While Pickering is known for her power, that simple base hit did a lot to help the Sooners create separation.

"Just trying to get comfortable leadoff and just knowing that my team doesn't need me to come up and hit a home run every time," Pickering said. "And today it worked out. It happened, but that's not plan. They just need someone to come up there and execute the game plan and just go what we talked about and how to see pitches."

But Pickering saved her best play for last.

After Gabbie Garcia hit a two-run home run early in the fourth inning, the Sooners managed to reload the bases with two outs on the board. Pickering took advantage with a grand slam, marking her 16th home run of the season.

That hit was more than just Pickering showcasing her power. The Sooners have really focused on capitalizing offensively when they have base runners, and they've done that effectively through the first two games of the regional. Two of the Sooners' seven walks against Cal came before Pickering's grand slam, which helped load the bases and put the game out of reach.

"It's huge when we can get that many walks," Pickering said. "I looked up and we had the same amount of hits as them. But we get those walks and we can manufacture runs in that way, and just timely hitting just works so much better and makes the game easier."

It's been that kind of season for Pickering. She's second on the team in batting average (.401), home runs and slugging percentage (.803) while leading the team in walks (49), as the true sophomore has turned into a do-it-all leadoff hitter for the Sooners.

As they prepare for the Norman Regional final — and potentially beyond — the Sooners are going to need Pickering to continue delivering in critical situations.

"She is just an easy watch," Gasso said. "Just really sees the ball well. She’ll identify balls and strikes very easily. You can hear it. But her hands are quick and her body is strong, and it looks very simple. It does. It looks very easy but she definitely works on it, hits a lot on her own.

"It takes that kind of effort and commitment and I think swinging so much, that’s why it looks easy because she does it so much."

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