Five HRs power Sooners past I-State for Sweep in a 14-1 Win !

[OUBeliever56A]

The Oklahoma Sooners brought their bats back to Love's Field on Sunday and powered their way to a 14-1 run-rule victory over a beleaguered Cyclone pitching staff. Oklahoma scored multiple runs off of all five Cyclone pitchers that pitched this weekend. It is worth noting that Sara Swain did not pitch this weekend and has not pitched since the 3rd weekend of the season. Iowa State could really use her help in the circle.

The five HRs hit in the game was the first time they have accomplished that since the Tennessee game at the Mary Nutter Classic in 2022. What I forgot about as I looked that up was the 10 games that the Sooners have hit 6 HRs since the 2022 season started one time they hit 7 HRs - against Texas Tech. Hello Lubbock! The Sooners are headed there this weekend. The Sooners also hit 4 doubles in the game today. They were 14 of 26 for a BA of .538, walked 5 times for an OB% of .613 and that Slug% of 1.269.

Jennings hit a 3 run HR in the 1st inning to give OU a 3-0 lead for her 7th HR of the season. It was the 80th HR of Jennings career. she is now 15 behind Chamberlain. Can she get there?

Kinzie Hansen hit her own 3-run HR in the 3rd inning to give OU a 6-0 lead. It was Hansen's 6th HR of the season and her 55th of her career and moved her above Sydney Romero at 54 and one behind Amber Flores with 56.

Sanders added a 2-run HR in the 3rd to make 9-0. The HR for Sanders was her 4th of the weekend to give her 8 for the season. In her last 9 official plate appearances, she has 4 HRs and 5 walks. In her last 4 official at bats, she has 4 HRs. When things are clicking and the softball looks like beach ball, it must be fun to play the game.

Ella Parker added he own 2-run HR before the 3rd inning ended. It was her 5th HR of her young career as a Sooner. Quincee Lilio hit the 5th and final HR of the day, a 3-run HR in the 4th inning. It was the 2nd HR of her career as a Sooner.

The four doubles were hit by Rylie Boone to LC, Parker down the LF line, Kasidi Pickering to straight CF over the head of the I-State CF for an RBI and Maya Bland down the left field line also. It was Bland's first EBH as a Sooner.

The Sooners left 5 runners on base in the game out of 19 for only 26.3%.

I will say that the Iowa State is not a strong pitching staff, but the last two games still showed what kind of an offense the Sooners can have on those very good days.

The effort by Kierston Deal was overshadowed by the hitting for OU today, but Deal once again pitched well today as she started and pitched 3.0 innings and allowed jut one single with 4 Ks after she opened the game by hitting the leadoff hitter on her second pitch that was just a bit too far inside. She settled down after that and pitched very well. I will say that she gets as many swinging strikes that are not fouled off as any Sooner pitcher earns. That is always good. Deal picked up her 5th win of the season.

EDIT: This paragraph is wrong. I simply did not see my "new pitcher line across my scorebook". Sorry. Paytn Monticelli took the circle in the top of the 4th and pitched the last two innings and threw fairly well except for one pitch. The 3rd hitter she faced ran into a fast ball with the barrel of her bat and hit a HR to LF to score the only I-State run of the day. Monticelli also walked a hitter and allowed a single in the 5th inning but she picked up her 4th K of the game as she struck out the last hitter looking. Avery Hodge made a nice play at SS in the 5th inning as she charged a slow hopper and releases the ball quickly for the second out of the inning.

Here is the right information.
Paytn Monticelli took the circle in the top of the 4th and pitched 1.1 innings and threw fairly well except for one pitch. The 3rd hitter she faced ran into a fast ball with the barrel of her bat and hit a HR to LF to score the only I-State run of the day. Monticelli then got her 3rd K as she struck out the first batter in the 5th. Then Geurin was brought in to finish. She walked the first batter on a 3-1 pitch. She then got the next hitter on a 6-3 ground ball that was the nice play by Hodge with the runner moving to 2B. The I-State leadoff hitter, then grounded into the hole at SS as Hodge got to the ball but had no play at 1B or a 3B as the runner moved on the play. Geuring then stepped up and struck out the final hitter looking at strike 3.

It was a very good, quick day at Love's Field on Sunday.

A few quick random thoughts.

1) Suddenly, the Sooners have 45 doubles, 3 triples and 44 HRs in 23 games. For 4 EBH a game on average. They have pumped up their HRs per game to 1.91.

2) Looking at the individual stats for the Sooners, I am pleasantly surprised to see two freshmen leading the team in batting average. Pickering and Parker are hitting .456 and .440 to lead the way. Their OB% are .515 and .532 respectively also. Only Sanders' .579 OB% is better. We might really have two really good freshman playing for the Sooners. (I am trying to be careful to not count the chickens before they hatch though.)

3) The Sooners can send 9 starters to the field, with very good defense, with none of them hitting less than a .341 BA, no less than a .426 OB% and only one hitter with less than a .596 Slug%. That can wreck a pitching staff quickly.

4) The Sooner pitching staff has lowered their ERA this week. It is now 1.32. The BAA is .183.

5) The Sooners now have 13 shutouts and 13 run-rules in their 23 games with their 22-1 record. They will be either #1 or #2 in the polls depending on how the voters treat LSU who is still undefeated at 22-0 after they swept Kentucky this weekend.

Up next is Tarleton State on Tuesday in a DH that starts at 4:30 PM at Love's Field. Tarleton State is 12-13 on the season but have lost 6 of their last 7 games.

It the spirit of the State of the Union, The State of Sooner Softball is very solid and looking very good for the future in 2024!

Boomer Sooner!

[TropicalSooner]

Thanks for the post game review '56. These are always a great read and really enjoyable to mull over.

One quick question, I got the impression that Geurin pitched the last two outs in the final inning. Did this not happen?
It wouldn't be the first time LiveStats got it wrong.

Thanks

[oufanforever]

Thanks for the post game review '56. These are always a great read and really enjoyable to mull over.

One quick question, I got the impression that Geurin pitched the last two outs in the final inning. Did this not happen?
It wouldn't be the first time LiveStats got it wrong.

Thanks

Geurin definitely pitched the last 2 out, gave up a single and had a K if I remembered right.

[OUBeliever56A]

Thanks for the post game review '56. These are always a great read and really enjoyable to mull over.

One quick question, I got the impression that Geurin pitched the last two outs in the final inning. Did this not happen?
It wouldn't be the first time LiveStats got it wrong.

Thanks

Yes you are right. I just looked right past my line on my scoresheet in the 5th inning. Thanks. I was very tired last night when I was posting it. I even fell asleep.

Monticelli picked up a strikeout to the first hitter of the 5th.

Then Geurin entered the game. She walked the first hitter on a 3-1 count. The next hitter grounded out 6-3 on the good Hodge play with the runner going to 2B. Then the leadoff hitter singled to ss in the hole with the runner on second moving to 3B. Geurin then got a strikeout as the hitter looked at the pitch to end the game.

I will go correct my info in the post.

[TropicalSooner]

What I like about this trio doing well yesterday was that is our pitching staff (plus Lowry) going into the SEC next year and they looked like they all worked really well together.
I think that is important--that they show up in some games where it's just the three of them and let them get used to supporting each other as we get ready for next year.
Undoubtedly, there will probably be a xfer pitcher picked up, but these three will be key for whatever success we do have next year.