Sooner Softball: 9-0, w 6 shutouts & 4 run rules after 8-0 Win!

[OUBeliever56A]

The Oklahoma Sooner Softball team completed the artic tour of the second weekend in Lake Charles with an 8-0 run-rule shutout of Central Arkansas on Sunday. The win included a couple of milestones for two young players, maybe four young players to think about it.

Patyn Monticelli started her first game in the circle as the Sooner starting pitcher against Central Arkansas and pitched 2 innings and allowed no runs, with 1 single, a walk and 2 HB and 3 strikeouts for a 'successful' start. Monticelli threw 40 pitches with 22 strikes for 55% strikes. In the first inning the Sooner defense lent a hand to Monticelli. With the bases loaded and one out, Monticelli got a fly ball to the left of center field that looked to be deep enough to score a run. But Coleman got to the fly ball quickly and then threw a "nolan-ryan-strike' to Hansen at home plate to allow Hansen to allow a sweeping tag by Hansen of the runner for the 3rd out of the inning with a fly-ball double play.

In the 3rd inning, SJ Geurin entered the circle for the Sooners and pitched 2.2 innings for Oklahoma to pick up the Win, her first, in her second outing of her career. Geurin did not allow a baserunner and picked up 2 strikeouts along the way. Geurin seemed to have the Bear batters off stride and looking for the wrong pitch repeatedly. I think only one ball was hit hard and it was right at Boone in LF. Geurin threw 34 pitches with 22 strikes for 64/7% strikes. Geurin has retired each of the 10 batters she has faced in an underpowering, overpowering way with her change of speeds. Kelly Maxwell was brought in to face the last Bear hitter and she got a ground out to second base on a 3-2 count in her third appearence this weekend.

That completed the fourth shutout of the weekend for OU, sixth shutout of the season. It was also the third one-hitter the Sooners pitched this weekend and for the season in 9 games. In the circle, things seem to be just fine for now for the Sooners as the Team ERA dropped to 0.50. The Sooners have allowed 29 hits, 15 walks with 6 HB for 50 baserunners in 56.0 innings. They also have 56 Ks. All that is good for the Sooners int he first two weeks. It is true that iron sharpens iron in fall ball.

On offense, the other two milestones were offensively. OU did score in 3 of the five innings that they hit. The run-rule, 8th run was scored with 2 outs in the 5th inning today on a based loaded walk on the 4th walk of the inning. They were 8 of 22 with a double (Brito) and two HRs (Jennings and Parker) with 6 walks and 1 strikeout along with 1 SB (Bland). Jennings had two hits on the day (single and HR) with 2 RBIs. Sanders had a big two out two-run single as well in the 1st inning. Coleman, Brito, Ludlam and Parker had single RBIs on the day. Parker's RBI was very impressive however. After Jennings hit her HR to straight away CF that was plenty deep, Parker followed as a pinch hitter and hit a monstrous HR that probably cleared the blue building behind CF. It is quite a milestone HR for Parker of what should be the first of many for her. The final milestone was the first at bat for Maya Bland, another freshman like Parker. Bland also picked a walk in her first at bat to reach base also. She then scored the walk-off run for the 8-0 win on Coleman's walk.

All-in-all it was a good quick day for the Sooners on Sunday with lots of goo things happening.

The Sooners are now hitting .346 BA, .441 OB% with a .581 Slug% in nine games with 67 runs for 7.4 runs per game scored. The Sooners have hit 7 doubles, 3 triples and 14 HRs. With only 1 strikeout on Sunday, that total is now 30 along with 39 walks and 4 HBP for 43 free bases. They have stolen 12 of 13 bases also. Their error total is still at 2.

Here is the Sooner staff writers article about the Sooners 9th win of the season.

https://soonersports.com/news/2024/2/18 ... n-rule-uca

It is now time for the weekend in Palm Springs for the Sooners. The Sooners will play Mississippi State, Wisconsin, San Diego State, Seattle and LMU. Their combined records will be around .500 by the end of the weekend with Mississippi State having the best record at 8-1. The weather looks pretty good for Palm Springs, it should be fun.

Boomer Sooner!

[1KCSoonerFan]

This game felt like one of the most satisfying of the early season.

SJ showing some talent and game; add her as a future option for the staff.
Parker got her first big blast; now that she knows how that felt, she might really come on strong.
A bit more life from the bats and minimal K's.
Defense holding up very well.
Run Rule, One-Hitter, and Shutout win.

The Sooners felt in control in this contest (outside of the bases loaded situation that made Coleman put on her Jayda Cape and save.)

Gasso challenged the team to be All In for this game. The ladies responded well, I thought.

[JSULL60]

I think next year SJ will be a regular in the rotation. She pitched very good on Fall Ball. In the appearances she has made, she has not given up a hit. This year it will probably be mostly spot duty.
There Is a battle brewing for DP. Ludlam has shown to be a capable backup to Kinzie Hansen, but the most impressive thing about and the biggest surprise of the year has been Ludlam's big bat bat. She delivered a big hit against Washington. She has hir some lasers to the outfield. She has hit so well that Patty started her at DP over Ella Parker. Patty saying I have got to get Ludlam into the batting order. Parker must have thinking, Oh No, that's my position.
When Parker went in to pinch hit, she hit a moon shot that probably made Alo proud.
The problem becomes, what if Ludlams bat stays hot and so does Parker. We could have a situation like a 1st base last year where Erickson and Cydney Sanders alternated depending on who had the hot bat. Erickson then transfered at the end of the season. I don't want to see Paeker transfer.
Overall the 4 game series this weekend had some good developments if they can be maintained.
1. Deal having a game showing her talents she displayed as a freshman. If she Deal can maintain her latest performance level, the Sooners may have the deepest and most talented pitching staffs in the country.
2. Coleman bat. She started off in a major slump but his heating up. When Colemans bat is hot, it jump starts the rest of the offense. The Sooners offense is almost unstoppable when Coleman is hitting. Coleman charges up the whole team.
3. Ludlams bat staying hot. The Sooners have alot of powerfull bats. But when some are not hitting consistently right now, her bat has been a big boost.
4. Parker hitting her first homerun. This kind of surprising considering some of the competition. But not really, given the fact that Parker even as a true freshman has been getting the Alo treatment. Teams have been more than willing to pitch around her given the amount of walks she has had. Sometimes hitting that first homerun is like a basketball player who is knwn for 3 point shot making hitting that first shot. Once the first one drops. The player might rain 3s.
5. SJs early success. If SJ can have some Deal type moments thus year, it alleviate some concerns for next year. I think regardless, Patty brings in another portal pitcher