summer senior sports reporter

Jayda Coleman

Senior outfielder Jayda Coleman during the NCAA Norman Regional final against Oregon on May 19.

 Aden Choate/OU Daily

NORMAN — Oklahoma (54-6, 22-5 Big 12) defeated Florida State (46-16, 19-5 ACC) 4-2 in Game 2 of the Norman Super Regional at Love’s Field on Friday and advanced to their eighth straight Women’s College World Series.

Freshman utility Kasidi Pickering led the Sooners offense and went 2 for 4 with a home run and two RBIs.

Here are the three takeaways from the Sooners’ win:

Sooners’ pitching faced ups and downs

Sophomore pitcher Kierston Deal got her first start since May 10 against BYU, where she pitched five innings, allowed two hits and runs and recorded four strikeouts.

Friday started well for the left-hander, as she retired the first three in the Seminoles lineup. However in the second, she began to face adversity.

Deal forced the first two outs in the inning, but then pressure started to seep through. She gave up a walk, which led to the bases loaded. Despite Florida State threatening to score, she was able to get the Sooners out of the jam.

Unfortunately for the left-hander, the third got worse for her. The sophomore pitcher gave up a solo home run to Seminoles freshman infielder Jaysoni Beachum. The homer was followed by a single.

Deal’s night came to an end when graduate transfer pitcher Karlie Keeney came in relief in the third.

Deal pitched for 2.1 innings, allowed three hits, one run and recorded zero strikeouts.

Keeney was able to effectively end the third, retiring two Florida State batters.

The graduate transfer pitcher cruised through the fourth, but in the fifth, she got into trouble.

Keeney gave up a solo home run to Florida State’s senior utility Kalei Harding and also allowed a double. Despite Keeney’s difficulties in the fifth, she was able to finish the inning without giving up any additional runs.

Keeney pitched for 2.2 innings, gave up three hits and recorded zero strikeouts. She was replaced in the sixth by senior pitcher Nicole May.

Coming in relief in the sixth, May was able to record a 1-2-3 inning and mirrored it in the seventh, giving the Sooners the victory.

Big fifth inning

The fifth inning was the turning point for Oklahoma. In what had been a stagnant offensive performance from the Sooners thus far, the offense got things rolling in the fifth.

Two singles by senior outfielder Jayda Coleman and freshman utility Ella Parker set the tone for the fifth. The setup for the big inning was when Parker successfully stole second base and a wild pitch led to Coleman scoring a run.

Freshman utility Kasidi Pickering extended the lead for the Sooners when she hit a two-run home run, her 10th of the season. The homer gave OU a 4-1 lead.

Coleman was impactful

Jayda Coleman made her presence felt throughout the game on both sides of the field.

Along with adding to the Sooners’ lead against the Seminoles, she made an incredible catch, effectively robbing Florida State of a home run in the fifth inning.

Coleman went for 1 for 3 and drew a walk. Despite not having a great offensive output, she helped energize the Sooners every time she stepped foot on the field.

Next, the Sooners will advance to their eighth straight Women’s College World Series at Devon Park in Oklahoma City and will await the announcement of their opponent.

 

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