OU clinches the Big 12 championship and the shutout!

[OUBeliever56A]

The Oklahoma Sooners defeated the Oklahoma State Cowgirls 6-0 on a beautiful night in Norman to clinch the Big 12 Championship for the 10th season in a row and continued their amazing series winning streak (now at 66 series) in the Big 12.

The game was a little slow to start but OU had base runners in the first two innings, but they were unable to plate a run with two runners on base in the 2nd. The slow start ended in the bottom of the third. J Coleman walked to open the inning. Alo followed with a single to RC that moved Coleman to third and on the late throw to third, Alo followed to second in a key extra base. What followed was also a very big play. On a ground ball to SS, Coleman broke towards home. Naomi threw to home to stop Coleman. Coleman coaxed Cottrill to focus on her in a rundown and allowed Jennings to reach first safely with Alo going to third and then back to second forcing Jennings back to first as Coleman dove into third safely. The Cowgirls failed to get an out with the ball never leaving the infield. Cottrill was left holding the ball in the end with a ‘empty feeling’ amongst the Cowgirl infielders. After a Lyons popup to SS, Brito plated the first run of the game on a single keeping the bases loaded. Snow hit a crisp line drive right at the left fielder Alexander for the second out of the inning. Johns then turned a ten-pitch at bat into a walk for an RBI and the second run. Kinzie Hansen then got her biggest hit in quite a while as she crushed a line drive into LC for a bases clearing double. As she stood safely on second with 3 RBIs in her hip pocket, Hansen yelled mightily to the dugout releasing her emotion that had been a long time in coming. The inning ended on a K by Boone but the 5-0 lead was provided for the Sooners which was more than needed to give the Sooners the clinching win.

The Sooners had one base runner in the final three innings of hitting with the biggest hit being the Lyons HR deep to LF just inside the Foul Pole to make it 6-0 in the 5th.

Alo and Brito had two hits each on the night, but the biggest blow of the night was Hansen’s double. If that one hit can get her going the Sooner fortunes amp up considerably going forward.

In the circle for the Sooners, Hope Trautwein was effective when needed and overall, and provided a very good outing for the Sooners. Coming into the game with a 0.09 ERA, Trautwein was challenged in the first inning on two straight singles by OSU. Trautwein battled back against Cottrill from a 3-0 count to get Cottrill to fly out to CF for the 3rd out of the inning. When her back forced to the wall, Trautwein got the job done once again this year. I think those broad shoulders of Trautwein provide her the strength to handle these moments.

The strike zone was small for both pitchers last night. Both Day and Trautwein had trouble finding the tight strike zone at times. That was evident to open the second inning as Trautwein walked the leadoff hitter, Factor. After a sac bunt by Evans, Trautwein got the ever-dangerous Busby to pop to Jennings at 2B and got Alexander to ground out to the Lyons to end the inning. On the last batter of the 2nd inning, Alexander, Hansen was robbed of an outstanding play on a foul pop bunt when Hansen come out of her crouch to catch the ball right before the ball hit the ground. The home plate umpire initially called the play correctly calling an out. But the 1B umpire came in and convinced the home plate ump he was wrong. That was not correct. On the replay on ESPN, it clearly showed that the ball bounced on Hansen’s webbing of her glove to be caught as Hansen closed her glove. The ball never touched the ground. When Lyons threw out Alexander a pitch or two later, that was the fourth out of the inning.

Trautwein found her grove in the 3rd and the 4th innings with 1, 2, 3 efforts with 4 ground ball outs and 2 Ks.

In the fifth inning with OU leading 5-0 the Cowgirls mounted their most serious effort of the night. Trautwein quickly retired the first two batters of the inning on a foul popup to LF and a ground out to 1B. The strike zone then disappeared for Trautwein as she walked two hitters in a row on 9 pitches. Trautwein then fell behind Carwile 2-1 then 3-1. Carwile ripped the next pitch to RF for a single. Boone charged the ball and scooped up the ball and threw a strike to the perfectly placed Hansen at home plate to tag the speedy Alexander for the third out of the inning. The Cowgirl threat was over, and the shutout was preserved for one more inning. Boomer!

Trautwein opened the top of the sixth strikeout of Elish as an exclamation point for her outing. I was a little surprised to see Coach Gasso come to the circle and remove Trautwein, but the standing ovation by the crowd on Hope Trautwein Senior Day might have been worth the early exit for her. Trautwein has been more than great this year for the Sooners!
Bahl entered the game and got the final two outs of the inning on five pitches with a strikeout and a ground ball to 2B. In the top of the 7th Bahl played hopscotch in the inning. She got the first out on a line drive to Snow at first base. She then walked Evans on a 3-2 count. She struck out Busby on three pitches for out #2. Alexander walked on five pitches to push runners to 1st and 2nd. Bahl recorded the final out on a foul fly ball to Boone in right field to secure the shutout for the Sooners.

Trautwein got her 14th win of the season and lowered her ERA to 0.087 for the season. Yes, that still rounds to 0.09 but that is an amazing season to allow 1 run in 80.1 innings. Trautwein and Bahl limited OSU to 3 singles and 4 walks with 6 Ks on the night.

That wrapped up the Big 12 Championship for the Sooners. That continued the winning series record for another season for the Sooners over Big 12 opponents. Everything is as it should be for the Sooners in the Big 12.

As for Saturday’s game. I think May will start in the circle with Bahl and/or Trautwein ready to go if needed. I think we may see Hansen at catcher again and probably Elam at 1B. Whether Snow plays the OF or not instead of Boone we will see at game time. I saw where it was suggested to start Nugent and T Coleman today to get the two freshman some experience, but I doubt that happens. I think the Sooner Coaches want to keep this momentum that they are building going.

OSU will probably throw Maxwell again today which re-enforces the probability that Elam will get a start today. OSU will want to win today for many reasons. How about winning in Noman for the first time since 1997, I think. How about for top 8 seeding in the NCAA Tourney for one. How about just breaking a losing streak of 4 games to Florida State and OU for another.

OU needs to come to Marita Hynes to win today. To make one more statement to the Cowgirls. To make one more statement to all the ranked teams that lost on Friday. Arkansas, Alabama, Washington, UCLA, Tennessee, and Northwestern were in that group. The Sooners show up every day. And they will again on Saturday!

Boomer Sooner!

[ousbfan]

Thanks 56 for the nice write up. I don't think I've seen a catcher look so lost as what to do with the ball during that run down on Coleman. Cottril is an experienced catcher but she looked like a deer in the headlights on that play.
Now the only thing to do in game 3 is pound osu really good and for me I hope it knocks them out of top 8 since I have no respect for little kenny and that team after game 2 last year in Stillwater.

[SwampSooner]

Thank You 56 for your summaries.

I was wondering where you were sitting yesterday as I watched from home. Were you one of fans behind home plate that we can see on TV?


BOOMER!

[inconnu]

Thanks 56 for the nice write up. I don't think I've seen a catcher look so lost as what to do with the ball during that run down on Coleman. Cottril is an experienced catcher but she looked like a deer in the headlights on that play.
Now the only thing to do in game 3 is pound osu really good and for me I hope it knocks them out of top 8 since I have no respect for little kenny and that team after game 2 last year in Stillwater.

I don't remember what the dirty shenanigan they pulled last year was, but I do remember well that they did it. It reminded me of some equally tacky crap that Alabama's smarmy coach pulled back in the finals of the 2012 WCWS season.