No. 1 Oklahoma softball defeats Texas Tech 8-2, punches ticket to championship game

No. 1 Oklahoma softball returned to Hall of Fame Stadium for the night cap on Friday against Texas Tech after knocking off Baylor earlier in the day to open up pool play.

After Oklahoma State’s two wins over Texas and Iowa State in the other pool, this game served essentially as a semifinal with the winner matching up with the Cowgirls in the championship on Saturday afternoon.

Getting the ball for Patty Gasso’s squad was senior Giselle Juarez who was effective working five innings and allowing just two runs – one of which being unearned. Freshman Nicole May would record the final six outs to finish things off.

After both teams came up empty in the opening inning, Oklahoma would strike first on a solo home run by catcher Lynnsie Elam in the second to get the Sooners out in front 1-0. The Red Raiders, however, would respond back with two runs in the bottom half of the inning off of Juarez to get themselves out in front by a run 2-1.

That would remain the score until the fourth when the Oklahoma bats would come alive again on a solo home run by first baseman Kinzie Hansen and two-run blast from Elam for her second homer of the day. The Sooners held a 4-2 advantage heading into the fifth.

There, designated player Jocelyn Alo would lead things off with her 27th home run of the year – a solo shot to right center to push the lead to 5-2. The Sooners would go on to load the bases with nobody out, but were unable to add on.

They would add on, though, in the sixth with Hansen going deep yet again for her second home run of the game and fourth of the day to go with her two blasts in the Baylor game earlier in the afternoon. Her two-run bomb paired with a solo home run from second baseman Tiare Jennings had Oklahoma holding a comfortable 8-2 lead midway through the sixth.

May would then enter the game in relief of Juarez and shut things down in the sixth and seventh to complete the 8-2 win.

The victory moves the Sooners to 44-2 on the year and punches their ticket to the championship game on Saturday afternoon against Oklahoma State for Bedlam round four. Oklahoma and the Pokes have been the two best teams in the conference all year long, so it seems only fitting they collide one more time for the conference crown.

Saturday’s title game is set for 3:00 p.m. CT back at Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.