OKLAHOMA CITY – Arrogance isn’t exactly the word, but we’ve heard it repeatedly from OU softball head coach Patty Gasso in recent weeks. That type of confidence.
Her team just wanted to get to the Women’s College World Series. Time to go to the home away from home. Return to that stage and go to work, remind everybody who they are. Because who they are? The three-time defending national champions going for an unprecedented fourth in a row.
The second-ranked Sooners did indeed go straight to work in dominating No. 10 Duke 9-1 in a six-inning, run-rule on Thursday afternoon in the opening round of the WCWS at OGE Field at Devon Park.
OU advances in the winner’s bracket side to take on No. 6 UCLA at 2 p.m. Saturday on ABC.
This is the first trip to OKC for Duke, and you didn’t know which way it was going to go. Tense in the moment or free and play well. OU simply put the pressure on the Blue Devils right from the jump.
Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the third, that pressure finally came through. OU got two-out, two-run home runs from Kinzie Hansen and Alynah Torres to take a 4-1 lead.
The Sooners came back in the fourth with another two-run shot, this time from Cydney Sanders. OU didn’t come through every time. But it keeps applying the pressure, and eventually, breaks the opponent’s will.
Jayda Coleman can do that, too, and it’s doesn’t have to be hitting. With OU up 4-1 in the top of the fourth, Duke has bases loaded and two outs.
Gasso took out starter Kelly Maxwell and put in Kierston Deal. And then Coleman does what she does. She didn’t climb a wall this time. No, instead it was a diving grab on a shallow fly ball that saved two runs.
Maxwell went the first 3.2 innings, walking four and striking out four. Deal threw the rest of the way.
Alyssa Brito hit a two-run single in the sixth to force the run-rule.
Up next
No. 2 OU has UCLA on Saturday afternoon. The Bruins earned a 4-1 victory against No. 14 Alabama to begin Thursday’s action. Jordan Woolery broke a 1-1 tie with a three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth. UCLA has the longest current winning streak in the nation at 14 games.
The post OU softball opens up WCWS in style, dominates Duke appeared first on On3.
