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Sooners dominant, Texas on-deck

Oklahoma head coach Patty Gasso said she wasn’t worried about her team overlooking beginning Big 12 conference play at Iowa State with the showdown series vs. Texas looming.

Then in three games, OU showed that was the case. The Sooners were dominant at the plate and in the circle in sweeping the Cyclones 3-0, 13-3 (5) and 10-0 (5) on Friday night and Saturday.

Gasso said she knew ISU was going to present a challenge, saying its 11-13 record going into the weekend was a little deceiving. After OU played 10 games in 10 days, Gasso was measured in her approach to this last week. She emphasized rest and recovery.

But that didn’t mean they didn’t take the Cyclones seriously. If ever there is a game where things aren’t clicking hitting, the Sooners know they can count on any one of their pitchers to bring them home as well.

While Saturday earned run-rule victories Nos. 17 and 18, Friday afternoon was a struggle. OU only had one extra-base hit, a double by Kinzie Hansen. It simply didn’t matter as Alex Storako brought her best stuff.

Storkao pitched a seven-inning complete game, allowing just one hit with zero walks and striking out five to move to 11-0 this season.

OU has had a couple of instances like that this season where the bats weren’t ready for the first game of a weekend and then woke up. And did they ever wake up with the 23 runs scored in the Saturday doubleheader to move No. 1 OU to 30-1 overall and 3-0 in the Big 12.

ISU actually took a 2-0 lead in the first game Saturday, and then OU went bombs away the rest of the way. The Sooners would hit six home runs with all 13 runs being accounted for on the long ball.

Alyssa Brito got it started with a three-run shot in the top of the second inning. The big blast was a grand slam by Tiare Jennings to make it 10-3 for the Sooners in the fourth inning.

Captain Grace Lyons and freshman Jocelyn Erickson added two-run shots, while Haley Lee and Sophia Nugent had solo home runs.

That was more than enough for Nicole May to improve to 9-0 this season, pitching four innings and striking out four.

To close out the series, an eight-run top of the first inning set the tone. OU scored runs in other ways and didn’t have a home run in this one until Jayda Coleman took one over the wall for a two-run shot to make it 8-0.

Lyons, who Gasso said is officially 100 percent back earlier in the week, added a solo home run and has hit four homers in the last two weekends.

Then it was time to let sophomore Jordy Bahl do the rest. The sophomore needed just 64 pitches to allow one hit in five innings with no walks and five strikeouts. Gasso knew the Nebraska native would have plenty of support in Ames, and Bahl delivered.

Up next: A huge series vs. the No. 10 Longhorns, huge. The first game will be at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium on Friday night, followed by 11 a.m. games Saturday and Sunday in Norman.

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