Oklahoma Beats Clemson 9-2 in Game 1 of the Norman Super Regional
The Oklahoma Sooners are one step closer to punching their ticket to Oklahoma City for a seventh-straight season after a 9-2 win over the Clemson Tigers.
Jordy Bahl (17-1) got the start and went 5.1 IP and allowed eight hits but only one earned run and totaled six Ks. She was relieved by Alex Storako, who went 2.0 IP
Valerie Cagle (25-7) gets the loss but was strong for four innings and controlled the game until the fifth. She finished the day with 4.0 IP, two Ks, seven hits, and eight runs allowed.
For just a moment, it felt that Oklahoma might be in some serious trouble. In the fifth inning, Clemson cut a 4-0 lead for Oklahoma in half with a pair of runs, on top of a few uncharacteristic miscues from OU, making it 4-2 and sending a breeze of uncertainty over the crowd at Marita Hynes Field.
But, it didn’t last long.
The Sooners responded in the bottom half of the inning with five straight hits and changed the entire feel of the game. Riley Boone got on base with a successful bunt of the first pitch of the fifth, followed by singles from Jayda Coleman and Tiare Jennings. Then, Haley Lee stepped into the batter’s box and sent a 3-1 pitch over the center field wall to make it 8-2.
After Clemson pulled Cagle for Millie Thompson, Alyssa Brito sent an 0-1 pitch over the centerfield wall as well, making it 9-2. In the span of nine pitches, Oklahoma put five runs on the board to put this game on ice.
That is exactly what makes this Oklahoma team so difficult to beat. As soon as Clemson felt it had some real momentum, the Sooners took all the air out of their comeback attempt with a tidal wave of offense.
With the win, Oklahoma moves to 55-1 and has now tied 1996-97 Arizona for the longest win streak in Division I history, with 47 straight victories. The Sooners will have a chance to break the record on Saturday as they face Clemson in Game 2 of the Norman Super Regional at 12:00 p.m. CT.
