Sooners Top Tulsa to Advance to Super Regional

A five-run inning lifted the Sooners to a win over the Golden Hurricane in the second matchup of the day.

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 12:25 pm

By: News On 6

Sooners Top Tulsa to Advance to Super Regional

Originally Published: May 22, 2011 7:22 PM CDT

Gerald Goodridge
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

NORMAN, Oklahoma -- After losing in the early game to Tulsa, the Oklahoma softball team advanced to the NCAA Super Regional Sunday with a 5-0 win over the Golden Hurricane.

Oklahoma sophomore pitcher Michelle Gascoigne (9-3) pitched a complete-game shutout for the Sooners in the win, giving up just six hits and striking out nine Tulsa batters.

Lacey Middlebrooks was credited with a loss for Tulsa, giving up three hits and three earned runs in 2.2 innings of service. Tulsa senior Jordan Kinard came in to close it out for Tulsa and finished her Golden Hurricane career with a four-inning outing, giving up just four hits.

The Sooners did all of their offensive damage in the top of third inning. Javen Henson drew a leadoff, four-pitch walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch, and two at-bats later Haley Nix drove her home with an RBI single to right field to take a 1-0 advantage.

Keilani Ricketts followed by drawing a walk, and both she and Nix advanced on an illegal pitch. Brittany Williams drove Nix in with a single to riht center and Chana’e Jones brought Ricketts home to take a 3-0 lead. A throwing error that would have ended the inning, instead brought Jones and Williams home to give the Sooners a five-run advantage.

Oklahoma will now head to Tucson, Arizona to take on the Wildcats in the Super Regional rounda at 10:30 p.m. May 27, in a best-of-three series to advance to the Women’s College World Series.