OU Wins Postponed Bedlam Game With Run-Rule

 It took two days in two cities and two stadiums, but No. 5/4 Oklahoma (46-7, 16-1 Big 12) won its 21st straight game with an 8-0, five-inning win over Oklahoma State (29-23, 6-10) Saturday morning.

The game originally started Friday night in Stillwater, but was postponed at 6:42 p.m. in the bottom of the second with OU leading 5-0 when inclement weather approached the area. With a game already scheduled to be played in Norman Saturday at 2 p.m., the decision was made to resume the contest in Norman prior to the finale.

It took another 58 minutes Saturday morning, but Oklahoma scored three runs in the top of the fourth to secure its 15th run-rule win of the season and its 12th straight victory over the Cowgirls. The win secured the Bedlam Cup for the Sooners for the 13th time in 15 seasons and marked the 18th time in 21 seasons of the Big 12 that OU won the regular season series.

Oklahoma wasted no time jumping on Oklahoma State, sending 11 to the plate in the top of the first and scoring five runs on six hits.

Senior Erin Miller and freshman Caleigh Clifton each walked to start the game before freshman Shay Knighten laced a single into left center, plating Miller. Two batters later, freshman Sydney Romero busted the game open when she pulled an 0-1 pitch over the wall in left field. It was her sixth homer of the year and it put OU on top 4-0.

For just the second time this year, the Sooners recorded back-to-back home runs when sophomore Nicole Pendley followed Romero’s blast with one of her own. Pendley’s fifth home run of the season went to left-center and extended the lead to 5-0.

The five runs tied for the second highest output in the first inning for OU this year, matching the five scored against Lamar on Feb. 13. The only higher scoring first inning came on Feb. 20 when the Sooners scored eight against Western Michigan.

OU then put the run-rule into effect with three runs in the top of the fourth.

Clifton led off with a single through the left side and moved to second when Knighten reached via an error by OSU’s shortstop. Freshman Fale Aviu made the Cowgirls pay for the mistake when she doubled to right-center, driving in Clifton and Knighten to make it 7-0. After a groundout moved Aviu to third, Pendley picked up her second extra-base hit of the game when she doubled to left-center.

The run support was more than enough for OU sophomore Paige Parker. She needed just 72 pitches to notch her 12th shutout of the season and her sixth in 11 conference starts. She struck out seven and gave up just two hits with one walk to improve to 27-3 on the year, earning a win in her 17th straight appearance.

As a team, the Sooners pounded out 13 hits, including two each for Romero, Pendley and sophomore Lea Wodach. Clifton was 1-2 with two runs scored and a walk, extending her on-base streak to 27 games.