No. 1 seeded OU softball (49-8, 20-4 SEC) defeated Binghamton (20-26, 15-5 America East) 11-0 Friday in the first round of NCAA regionals.
The Sooners won in a dominant five-inning run rule, hitting four home runs while only allowing two hits.
Here are three key takeaways.
Fast Start
The Sooners got out to a hot start, scoring seven of their runs in the first two innings of the game.
Junior Kasidi Pickering put the Sooners up 4-0 late in the first on a two-run homer, her 18th home run of the season. OU hit back to back home runs in the second, with freshman Kai Minor and junior Ella Parker both going long to extend OU’s lead to seven.
In her two innings of work on the mound, OU starting pitcher Audrey Lowry allowed only one hit, while striking out three of the seven batters she faced.
“I couldn’t have asked for anything better,” head coach Patty Gasso said. “It was almost to perfection.”
Defensive Dominance
The Sooners' pitching staff recovered from the 10 runs they allowed in their Southeastern Conference tournament loss to Georgia.
Three different pitchers saw action for OU. Lowry passed the torch to freshman Berkley Zache, who pitched two more scoreless innings and also only allowed one hit. Allyssa Parker closed the game in the fifth, sending all three Binghamton hitters down on just 12 pitches. The Sooners allowed two singles and a walk but never let a runner score during the game.
“Bringing in Zache was important because I think she’s got some tools that can really help us,” Gasso said. “And it’s really starting to move for her now.”
Home run success
The Sooners, who sit second in college softball in home runs, with just over three per game, added four more to their total in only four innings of batting on Friday.
In addition to home runs from Pickering, Minor and Ella Parker, freshman Kendall Wells hit a deep shot to center that almost left the ballpark. These homers drove in seven of OU’s 11 runs, proving instrumental in the victory.
OU advances to face the winner of Michigan vs. Kansas at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
This story was edited by Joshua McDaniel.
