Oklahoma’s start to Saturday’s Super Regional game two mirrored Friday’s in a lot of ways. The Sooners were able to send six batters to the plate, get three of them on base and score one.
Sydney Romero led off with a double and then moved home on a hit-and-run with Fale Aviu, who was the next batter. That would be it for Oklahoma’s scoring in the first and Northwestern pitcher Danielle Williams ended the threat with a strike out and inducing a couple of pop outs.
The offensive similarities between Friday and Saturday ended in the top of the third when Oklahoma batted through their lineup, scoring four runs in the process.
Sydney Romero battled through a lengthy at bat to lead off the frame with a solo home run and then Jocelyn Alo follwed, three batters later, with a two-run blast that cleared the outfield bleachers.
Nicole Mendes scored Grace Green with an RBI single to make it 5-0 Sooners. Danielle Williams, who was able to limit Oklahoma to just three hits on Friday, din’t make it through the third and left the circle responsible for all five of Oklahoma’s runs.
Grace Green hit Oklahoma’s third home run of the day in the top of the fifth. Her solo shot made it a 6-0 game and started talks of the run-rule coming into play.
Oklahoma came close to ending it early when Caleigh Clifton left the yard in the top of the sixth for Oklahoma’s fourth home run of the day. The 7-0 lead was just one run shy of the run-rule, sending the game the distance.
Lynnsie Elam would use the seventh inning to blast a solo home run, giving us the final of 8-0. Her homer was the fifth of the day for Oklahoma and the 108th of the season, sitting a new team record for home runs in a season.
Sydney Romero would also use the seventh to enter the record books by knocking her 57th career double, a new program record.
What wasn’t different from Friday was OU’s dominance in the pitching circle. Mariah Lopez pitched four and two third innings of shutout ball, allowing just two hits and striking out five batters.
Shannon Saile entered the game for Lopez in the fifth. She finished off the final two and a third innings against the Wildcats without allowing a hit and striking out three of the eight batters she faces.
The Sooners will be making their 13th appearance in the Women’s College World Series and fourth consecutive. They have won two of the last three national championships and have four titles overall.