OU Softball: Sooners Crush Opposition On Saturday

The Oklahoma offense exploded for 23 runs in a 23-3, five-inning win over Iowa (8-16). The Sooners (20-3) then followed that up with an 11-0, five-inning win over East Carolina (7-18) as freshman Paige Parker threw her third perfect game of the season and senior Shelby Pendley tied a school record with three home runs.

Oklahoma 23, Iowa 3 (5 innings)

The Oklahoma offense exploded for the third-most runs in program history as the sixth-ranked Sooners defeated Iowa, 23-3, in five innings Saturday afternoon at Marita Hynes Field.

The Sooners scored at least five runs in each of the first three innings en route to tying for the third-most runs in a game in program history. The only bigger outputs were a record-35 runs against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Feb. 28, 2014, and 24 runs against Iowa State on April 26, 2013.

Seven different OU batters collected at least two hits, including three each for freshman Nicole Pendley and seniors Shelby Pendley and Jessica Vest. The team's hit total of 23 was one off the school record of 24, which had occurred twice previously.

In addition to runs and hits, the Sooners posted or tied season highs in RBI (23), doubles (3) and home runs (4).

The Sooners flexed their muscles in the first inning, sending 15 to the plate in an 11-run frame. It was the most in one inning for OU since scoring 17 in the fourth inning in game two of a doubleheader last year against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Feb. 28, 2014.

Senior Lauren Chamberlain hit her 84th career home run in the win to break a tie with Louisiana-Lafayette's Danyele Gomez (2003-06) for fifth on the all-time home run list.

Oklahoma 11, East Carolina 0 (5 Innings)

Freshman Paige Parker became the 22nd player in NCAA DI history, and the first Sooner, to throw three perfect games in a career, and she's done it in only 10 starts. In addition, she is the 11th player in NCAA DI history to throw three perfect games in one season. Only Louisiana-Lafayette's Kyla Hall and Boston's Audrey West had more when they each threw four in the 1994 season.

Parker improved to 8-2 on the season as she struck out seven and faced the minimum 15 batters.

At the plate, senior Shelby Pendley tied a school record as she hit three home runs. Pendley joins former Sooner Amber Flores as the only Sooners to accomplish the feat. Flores did it in the Super Regionals against Washington on May 27, 2010.

Pendley was 3-for-3 with three home runs and five runs batted in. She hit a solo homer in the first, and three-run shot in the second and another solo homer in the fourth. With 67 career home runs she's tied for 18th on the all-time list and is tied for fifth at OU with 48 homers.

Also homering in the game was senior Lauren Chamberlain. It was her 85th career home run, tying Arizona's Leah Braatz ('94-95, '97-98) and Laura Espinoza ('92-95) for third on the all-time home run list. Chamberlain is only five away from tying the all-time home run record.