Photo credit Ty Russell/OU Athletics
Jana Johns and Grace Green went yard and Mackenzie Donihoo and Lynnsie Elam knocked in three runs each as Oklahoma pounded Texas Tech 15-0 in Game 1 to record a 27th run-rule victory. Then in Game 2 Shannon Saile struckout 13 Red Raider batters in a complete-game shutout performance as the Sooners took the series with a 5-0 win.
Oklahoma posted three runs in the first, six in the second, and then six again in the third to claim its seventh 15-run performance on the season in Saturday’s opener. From the circle Giselle Juarez picked up her 13th win of the season by throwing three solid innings of ball where she gave up just two hits and struck four. She was relieved by sophomores Brooke Vestal and Olivia Rains who closed out the final two frames without allowing a hit.
Typically it’s hitting for Oklahoma that really grabs the headlines and while the Sooners would ultimately score twenty runs on the day it was really the work in the circle that stole the show as OU kept Texas Tech completely off the scoreboard through 12 innings of play. No performance was more dominating than Saile though as the senior mowed over batter after batter in the second game.
Fanning five of the first seven batters that she faced, Saile had both velocity and control firmly in her grasp as she worked her way to an 11th win of the season by striking out more than half of the batters that she faced (13-of-25). Saturday was the 18th and 19th shutout wins of the season for Oklahoma.
The second game also featured back-to-back home runs from the Sooners as well. A low scoring affair through three innings, Johns and Tiare Jennings added to Oklahoma’s 1-0 lead with back-to-back home runs in the fourth. It was Johnsβ ninth of the season and second of the day and Jenningsβ 21st of the season. It marked the 12th time this season that the Sooners have hit home runs in consecutive at-bats.
Saturday’s wins provided the Sooners a 58th consecutive conference series victory and a 54th consecutive Big 12 regular season win.
Oklahoma goes for the sweep of Texas Tech Sunday afternoon with the first pitch scheduled for 12:00.
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