OKLAHOMA CITY — Even after pitching seven innings against Stanford on Thursday, Patty Gasso wanted sophomore Jordy Bahl in the circle on Saturday.
Oklahoma's coach looked at Tennessee's lineup and saw lots of power, but also aggressiveness. As a result, Gasso wanted the sophomore from Papillion, Nebraska, pitching for the second straight game, believing Bahl has the necessary command to combat the Volunteers' strength.
"Jordy can throw a lot of different planes and a lot of different speeds," Gasso said. "(The Volunteers) just are very aggressive. I think majority of them swung at the first pitch. You got to really pinpoint that pitch where you want it.
"I just felt Jordy had that command. The extra speed that Jordy has is very effective."
The decision paid off, as OU (58-1) earned a 9-0 run-rule win over Tennessee (50-9) in the Women's College World Series off the back of another shutout performance from Bahl. Due to her long outing against the Cardinal, Bahl pitched just 3.2 innings against Tennessee before being replaced by senior Alex Storako in the fourth inning. But, she made the most of it by allowing one hit with three strikeouts.
𝐉𝐨 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞. One stranded. MID 1 | OU 0, TENN 0 | 📺 ABC pic.twitter.com/EVtSo8muGe
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) June 3, 2023
After scoring twice against Stanford, the Sooners' bats came alive against the Volunteers. OU scored three in the second inning and six in the third inning, launching two home runs from junior infielder Tiare Jennings and senior catcher Kinzie Hansen.
Parade in 𝐡𝐞𝐫 city 🥳 @_tiarejenningsB2 | OU 3, TENN 0 | 📺 ABC pic.twitter.com/kOTQfR0QPN
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) June 3, 2023
Who let the 𝐝𝐚𝐰𝐠𝐬 out⁉️ @kinziehansenB3 | OU 5, TENN 0 | 📺 ABC pic.twitter.com/RHa51BQngP
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) June 3, 2023
Tennessee sent four pitchers to the circle, none of whom pitched more than two innings. All but one allowed an earned run as the Sooners' offense continued pouring it on.
"I think we try and focus more on our game plan," Jennings said. "We try and look at what their game plans are and their tactics, but try and see how we can get the best success off of it. Teams can do whatever they want, but at the end of the day it's going to be up to us."
On the biggest stage in college softball, Saturday's contest seemed to be business as usual for OU as it increased its NCAA record-long win streak to 50 games.
"What we want to do is bring a national championship back to the University of Oklahoma and the state of Oklahoma," Gasso said. "That will never be taken away from us. You can never take that away. It will live forever."
Donihoo faces former team
The Sooners faced a very familiar face on Saturday.
Former OU infielder Mackenzie Donihoo came to the plate twice against the Sooners, recording a pop out in her first at-bat and a walk her second time around. Those two at-bats were all she would get as OU sealed its run-rule win before she could bat a third time.
When asked about her former teammate, Hansen had brief, but positive things to say about her.
"She's a gritty player," Hansen said. "She did some big things for us a couple years ago. I'm just to see her happy and successful over there and just doing well. I know it's pretty cool just to see her having success. It's really good to see her in her career have that."
Donihoo played at OU from 2019-22 before Gasso announced she was taking "a step back" from the team on April 19, 2022. Donihoo announced her departure from the Sooners in May of that year and transferred to Tennessee in June 2022, where she's batted .272 this season.
Pitching blunders bite Tennessee
OU used its power to score, but were also gifted opportunities from Tennessee pitchers.
The Volunteers recorded four wild pitches against the Sooners, with two coming from their starter Karlyn Pickens. OU scored two runs off wild pitches, with both coming in the third inning.
First, Tennessee's Nicola Simpson allowed left fielder Rylie Boone to score OU's eighth run. She was replaced by Ryleigh White, who allowed center fielder Jayda Coleman to score on another wild pitch.
The Sooners committed no such blunders on their side, pleasing Gasso.
"Our defense was on point," Gasso said. "Everything was exactly the way we hoped it would be. We really stepping forward and are getting the day off, and getting to recover is really important."
The Sooners have advanced to the semifinals of the WCWS, where they will face the winner of Stanford-Washington at 11 a.m. Monday on ESPN.
