Bedlam Softball Game #3 - Keeney steals the Show, Two FR shine!

[OUBeliever56A]

The Oklahoma Sooner Softball team rebounded on Sunday to win the final game of the series with Oklahoma State with a 8-2 win over the Cowgirls. the story of the game was Karlie Keeney. Keeney was the surprise starter, but it did make sense as she had pitched in the first two games of the seires and allowed no hits and picked up 2 Ks in 3.1 innings. The start for Keeney was her first start since March 20th against UT-Arlington. The choice was the right choice.

Keeney kept the ball down and pitched very well through the first five innings. In those five innings she allowed only 3 hits (all singles) and 2 walks and picked up 2 Ks. The key inning early for Keeney was the third inning.

The inning opened with a single by McDonald on a line drive to RC. As the ball skipped on the damp grass, the ball got by Coleman and went to the fence for the what was ruled a single and and an error. I thought that was a bit harsh from the scorer, but I will not say that Coleman played the ball as well as she could have. The next batter, Bloodworth laid down a nice bunt down the 3rd base line. Brito played the bunt and must have heard someone say "3RD" as she turned to make a play at third base on the pinch-runner Warsop trying to move to 3rd base on the bunt. Brito stopped her throw as it would have been late and then threw to 1B too late to get the runner. The play was ruled a SAC, with no hit and no error. With runners now on first and third, Keeney got the OSU leadoff hitter to hit a ground ball to Sanders at 1B. Sanders looked like she would turn and throw to second base for a force, but at the last second decided to throw home as Warsop moved towards the plate from 3B. Sanders throw got to home before the runner did but it was high. Hansen handled the high throw well (nice to have a 6 foot catcher) and then moved towards Warsop. As Warsop hustled back to 3B, Hansen delivered a strike to Brito standing "inside the bag" who made a solid tag on Warsop for the fielders choice out at 3B with the other runners moving to 2nd and 1st. The play was reviewed if I remember right, probably asking for an obstruction call, and it the play stood up. Okay, 1 out runners still on 1st and 2nd. On the second pitch to Edwards, she lined a ball up the middle. Torres at 2B was playing up the middle with the runners on base and was right there to make a quick step towards second base to make the catch a shoulder level and then step on 2B to complete a line drive double play. Boomer Sooner! The inning was over with no runs scored.

After five innings of really strong pitching, the Sooner decided to go to Deal in relief. I imagine this had something to do with Keeney's velocity dropping a bit or fatigue as she had not pitched this long all season. Yep, all season. Here longest outing had been 4.2 innings against Seattle back in weekend #3 at Mary Nutter. The Cowgilrs put together 3 singles quickly against Deal. But I will say, they were all singles. There were no EBHs allowed by Deal which was key. At the time the Sooners led 2-0. The singles were by Wang, Godwin and Davis, all good hitters for OSU. With the bases loaded, the Sooners decided to bring back Keeney to pitch to Timm for OSU. Keeney got a routine fly ball to CF for the first out. Wark was up next. On a pitch down and in, Wark singled between Brito and the bag at 3B into the LF corner to plate two runs as OSU tied the score. Around me, people wondered why we were not protecting the lines to protect against doubles. I could understand that thought, but I did not think of it before the play. Keeney then picked up a very big strikeout of McDonald for the second out of the inning. The final out of the inning was made by Jennings as she played the hop well to throw to Hodge at second base for the force to end the inning. Keeney did very well to keep the runs to just two runs in the inning for OSU.

The response to the top of the 6th by the Sooners was reminiscent of the dominate Sooners that we have seen so often in the last three years. The Sooner sixth opened with a hard ground ball that Hansen hit off the pitcher's glove, Aycock, that Blood worth fielded and threw out Hansen at 1B. Boone then singled to CF on a two-strike pitch to put the first runner on base. Sanders followed with a single down the LF line that softly fell to the ground in front of the LF. With Bland running for Sanders, Coleman added a third hit to LC that plate the first run of the inning as Boone scored with Bland moving to second. As Parker stepped up to the plate, I thought about her double in the inning before that was hard hit to LC. Could she pick up another big hit? She did! She hit a hard drive that hit high up in Gasso's Garden in CF for a 3 run HR. Boomer Sooner!

Jennings then stepped to the plate and hit a scorching line drive to LC that hit something along the top of the wall for what played out as a double. But after a discussion, the play was reviewed by the officials and it was ruled a HR by the umpires for the fifth run of the inning. BTW, it was Jennings 92nd HR and her 301st RBI. That moves her total to 92 HRs and ties her with three players, Davidson (Miss St) and Harper and Mauga (Zona). Her RBI total ties her with Sierra Romero at 5th all time. Pretty good Senior Day I would say!

The inning continued Hodge reached base on a throwing error by the Davis on a ball hit to second base and reached second herself on the play. Brito was a little late on her swing and hit lazy popup over 1B and into foul territory that Godwin made a nice play on over the shoulder for the 2nd out of the inning. An alert Hodge, tagged up and moved to 3B on the play. Hannah Coor stepped into the box next and she she belted a single up the middle to plate Hodge to make the score 8-2. Ludlam pinch-hit for Hansen and grounded out on a short hopper in front of the plate fielded by the catcher to end the inning.

It was a big inning by the Sooners and could be one that we look back to and say, it was a big key for them.

Keeney went back to the circle in the 7th. With Sanders back in the game at 1B and Ludlam staying in the game at catcher, Keeney went to work and walked the leadoff hitter Poullard. She quickly recovered as she got Edwards to fly out to CF that was a bit deep as a few Sooner fans took a deep breath for the first out. Keeney then got a called third strike against Wang for the second out and then a ground ball to 3B fielded nicely by Brito to end the game.

The key to Keeney's outing was that she kept the ball down in zone with an occasional ball up in the zone to change the batter's eye level but got swings down low and only allowed ground balls for the most part as she got 8 ground ball outs and 7 fly outs along with her 3 Ks in 6.2 innings. She truly 'saved' the series for the Sooners in the circle. I will say here that I have not thought that Keeney was a strong pitcher this year so far despite her sub-2.00 ERA. She was consistent and good, BUT TODAY, she was very good and looked like that pitcher that held OU last year to 1 run in 8.0 innings and the one that beat UCLA last year in the Regionals. We might see more of Keeney moving forward.

I also want to say that I thought Kasidi Pickering 2-run HR to LC in the bottom of the 4th inning was also a key hit in the game. It broke the drought of 0 HRs of the series and was hit on a 3-2 count with one out. The two freshman today, Pickering and Parker were 4 for 6 with 5 RBIs with a double and 2 HRs. They led the way today for the Sooners on offense and got the two big hits of the game. BIG HITS!

The win secured the 2nd place finish in the Big 12 conference for the Sooners. That means something as they now will play the winner of the Kansas and Houston game on Wednesday. The Sooners first game in the Big 12 Tourney will be at 1:30 PM on Thursday.

It was an important win for the Sooners. They needed the lift that Keeney gave them in the circle and the they needed the big hits that the Sooners got by Pickering, Coleman, Parker and Coor gave them.

Boomer Sooner!

[EMan]

I also want to say that I thought Kasidi Pickering 2-run HR to LC in the bottom of the 4th inning was also a key hit in the game. It broke the drought of 0 HRs of the series and was hit on a 3-2 count with one out.

I had to laugh when Pickering hit that homer. ESPN had just discussed and shown the graphic that the last time OU had gone 3 straight games without a homerun was in April of 2017. And three pitches later Kasidi launched her shot to left center. "And the drought is over!"