Oklahoma picked up its 21st shutout and 29th run-rule of the season when it swept Baylor in a mid-week double header in Waco. The Sooners rallied from a 1-0 deficit in the first game thanks in part to a Nicole Mendes grand slam home run in the top of the fourth that opened the door to OU closing out the game with seven consecutive runs.
The Sooners weren’t finished leaving the park though as Jocelyn Alo and Tiare Jennings both went deep to extend the lead. Both came in the fifth inning with it being the 25th of the season for Alo and 22nd for Jennings.
While offense was certainly played a key role in Oklahoma’s 7-1 win in the opener, it was the defense that held Baylor in check until the bats woke up in the fourth inning. Twice the Sooners eliminated scoring threats in the third inning with tags at home plate that were produced from stellar plays in the field.
Giselle Juarez improved her season record to 15-1 by throwing the complete game. She allowed just the one run and struck out six Baylor batters.
Game two of the doubleheader was an absolutely dominating performance by the Sooners in all aspects of the game. Shannon Saile retired the first nine batters she faced and pitched four innings allowing just two hits while striking out six batters.
Offensively the Sooners scattered seven runs through the first three innings and then poured on four more in the sixth to bring up the run-rule at 11-0. Eight Sooner batters recorded a hit in the game, including Jocelyn Alo who went 3-for-4 from the plate with an RBI and a run scored. However, the big play of the day happened in the top of the sixth when Grace Lyons escaped a rundown by eluding the tag and diving to home plate for Oklahoma’s ninth run.
The Sooners will be off this weekend but will have road trips to Wichita State and Oklahoma State looming the week after to close out the regular season.
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