Sooners Advance to Super Regionals with 3-2 Win Over Oregon
Patty Gasso and the Oklahoma Sooners outlasted Melyssa Lombardi’s Oregon Ducks in a 3-2 victory on Sunday afternoon, advancing OU to its 14th consecutive Super Regional appearance.
Game 6 of the Norman Regional lacked intensity or nail-biting moments. It felt like this game deserved to be played some 30 miles north of Love’s Field just a couple of weeks from now.
A senior-laden Ducks squad hung tough with the No. 2 seed for a full seven innings on Sunday, but a second consecutive performance from the OU pitching staff proved too much for Oregon to overcome.
Nicole May got the ball for Oklahoma on Sunday and was terrific in 5.0 innings of work, allowing five hits, one earned run (two total), and recording six strikeouts with no walks on the day.
With the Sooners struggling to find a consistent arm outside of Kelly Maxwell in recent weeks, back-to-back dazzling performances from Nicole May should give fans a reprieve from hitting the panic button already.
Even with May’s standout play, Maxwell did appear in the game in relief and was spectacular once again, allowing just one hit with two strikeouts and no walks in 2.0 IP.
There were runs scored by one team or another in each of the first four innings, with Oklahoma plating one run in the first, second, and fourth innings, while Oregon did its damage in the third with two runs, courtesy of a Tehya Bird solo home run and an RBI single from Emma Kauf.
Kasidi Pickering got the Sooners on the board with a sac fly in the first that brought Jayda Coleman across the plate. Jayda Coleman would drive in Avery Hodge with an RBI double in the second, and a single from Tiare Jennings in the fourth represented the winning run in the fourth.
The win moves Oklahoma to 53-6 on the year, but more importantly, moves the Sooners one step closer to a return to the Women’s College World Series. They’ll play host to either Florida State or Auburn in the Super Regionals next weekend, with the Seminoles and Tigers playing in their Regional Final this afternoon.
Oklahoma becomes the third Big 12 team to lock in a spot in the Super Regionals, following Texas and Oklahoma State securing Regional victories earlier today. Baylor could make it four teams if they can beat Louisiana in the if-necessary Game 7 in the Lafayette Regional.
