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'1 of the best hitters in the country': Haley Lee's 2 home runs help OU softball sweep Texas Tech

Haley Lee

Redshirt senior utility Haley Lee during the game against Texas on April 2.

 Olivia Lauter/OU Daily

Haley Lee continues to dominate at the plate.

Oklahomaโ€™s designated player boosted the Sooners with her two-run home run in the first inning, giving OU a 2-0 lead over Texas Tech.

Lee has recorded a hit in each of Oklahomaโ€™s past six games, including a pair of home runs Saturday, which allowed the No. 1 Sooners (36-1, 9-0 Big 12) to complete a three-game sweep of the Red Raiders (28-15, 2-7) with a 7-0 win in Norman.

โ€œShe is probably one of the most comfortable players that I have ever coached,โ€ Gasso said Saturday. โ€œ โ€ฆ Powerful. Covers the plate well. No count is a count that she's uncomfortable with โ€ฆ That's why she's one of the best hitters in the country to me.โ€

Senior Grace Lyons added a two-run shot of her own in the second inning before Lee blasted a solo shot to center field in the third. Lee has hit five home runs the past six games after hitting six through OUโ€™s first 31 games. Oklahoma has hit a home run in eight consecutive games and 32 of its 37 games this season.

Lee led the way for the Sooners on Saturday, hitting 2 for 3 with three RBIs. Senior Alynah Torres collected her first three-hit game with OU and scored twice.

Oklahomaโ€™s impressive day at the plate comes after Gasso claimed the team was โ€˜underperformingโ€™ hitting wise through its first two matchups with Texas Tech. The Sooners mustered three hits in the first game as the Red Raiders deployed a different pitcher each inning.

โ€œI thought it was a genius idea. โ€ฆ It really did bother us,โ€ Gasso said. โ€œ ... That made us come back in this room and check ourselves and say, โ€˜Why are we griping about this? Itโ€™s a challenge. Accept it as a challenge instead of โ€ฆ Whining about it.โ€™ We embraced it differently, and I think that helped the cause.โ€

Junior Nicole May (11-0) pitched 5.1 innings and allowed no runs on two hits. May also recorded eight strikeouts and one walk. Freshman Kierston Deal pitched 0.2 innings of scoreless relief in the sixth and senior Alex Storako took the seventh,

โ€œI am more confident in Nicole May than I ever have been,โ€ Gasso said. โ€œ ... I feel very very comfortable with all of them, but May has really kind of stepped into her own space and is really getting better with each outing.โ€

Nicole May

Junior pitcher Nicole May during the game against UIC on Mar. 4

OUโ€™s pitching dominates

Mayโ€™s scoreless outing capped a weekend in which Oklahoma flexed its pitching dominance.

The Soonersโ€™ pitchers combined for 21 innings of scoreless ball, while striking out 25 batters compared to nine hits. May especially found her groove in the third inning of the third game and retired nine consecutive hitters, five of which struck out.

OUโ€™s staff has combined for a 0.91 ERA this season.

โ€œThe key for me, I think, is just the way our pitchers can change speeds and move the ball pretty dramatically,โ€ Gasso said. โ€œ ... Youโ€™ve got to have a good pitching staff to shut those guys down and our pitching staff was outstanding this weekend.

Jayda Coleman

Junior outfielder Jayda Coleman during the game against Texas Tech on April 6.

Oklahomaโ€™s outfield leads defensive effort

The Soonersโ€™ defense silenced the few threats Texas Tech posed.

The Red Raiders had a runner at first with two outs in the second inning when left fielder Demi Elder hit a fly ball off the wall in center field. The runner at first attempted to travel all the way home but was caught in a rundown thanks to a quick relay from center fielder Jayda Coleman.

Then, with two outs in the fourth inning, outfielder Rylie Boone collided with the left field wall, while snagging a near-home run to keep Texas Tech off the scoreboard.

Next, OU faces No. 11 LSU (33-7, 6-6 SEC) at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

โ€œI want a hostile environment,โ€ Gasso said. โ€œI want us to feel like we're the underdogs and everything we don't do right is cheered and everything they do right is cheered. I just want them to feel a chaotic environment, a suffocating environment โ€ฆ (Weโ€™ve been) walking into stadiums that arenโ€™t our home stadiums, and it's a home crowd. It just kind of backfires on some growth at times.

โ€œI really want to see them up against big time players in a big time environment. An SEC school, a future opponent, it's a tough place to play in any sport โ€” I think everybody knows that. And I'm just really excited to see how we handle ourselves in that environment.โ€

This story was edited by Colton Sulley.

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