College Softball Roundup

Oklahoma

The No. 2-ranked Sooners continued their winning ways Saturday in San Diego, run-ruling No. 24 Kentucky 11-0 in five innings.

Keilani Ricketts picked up the win for the Sooners, giving up four hits in four innings while striking out three.

The Sooners jumped out to a 5-0 lead after the first two innings, but put the game away with a five-run fifth inning.

The Sooners loaded the bases before Lauren Chamberlain singled to bring home Destinee Martinez. Then Jessica Shults stepped to the plate and blasted a grand slam over the right field fence. The home run was the 56th of Shults' career, tying the Big 12 and OU career home run mark.

In the second game of the day, Michelle Gascoigne struck out 10 batters and Sooners recorded its fourth shutout win in a row with a 2-0 win over No. 16 Washington.

Lauren Chamberlain provided the offense with a two-run home run in the bottom of the third inning. It was her sixth home run of the year.

At 9-0, Oklahoma is off to its best start since opening the 2007 season with a 23-game winning streak.

Oklahoma State

The OSU Cowgirl softball team defeated Dayton, 4-2, following a 1-0 eight-inning loss to Nebraska-Omaha Saturday in the Lovelace Invitational, hosted by North Texas. The Cowgirls are now 4-4 on the season.

Game one against Nebraska-Omaha was a pitcher's duel, as OSU pitcher Kat Espinosa struck out 11 batters in 7-1/3 innings of work, but with the game tied at zero in the bottom of the eighth, Allie Matthewson hit one off the fence in left center field to score the game winning run for UNO.

In game two against Dayton, Taylor Woodall got the Cowgirls started in the second inning, blasting a grand slam to left to give OSU a 4-0 lead. That was more than enough for pitcher Simone Freeman, who took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and struck out 12 batters.

OSU wraps up competition at the Lovelace Invitational on Sunday with a rematch against Iowa scheduled for 11:30 a.m.

Tulsa

The Golden Hurricane softball team split a pair of games with Arkansas at the Unconquered Invitational in Tallahassee, Fla. Saturday.

The Razorbacks run-ruled Tulsa 14-3 in the first game, but the Golden Hurricane rallied in the second game for a 3-1 win.

Arkansas pounded out 12 hits and scored seven runs in the second inning to blow the game open. Tulsa had taken a brief 3-2 lead with a three-run frame in the top of the second. Arkansas added five runs in the third inning.

In the second game, Tulsa pitcher Lacey Middlebrooks pitched a complete game two-hitter and helped her own cause with a walk-off two-run homer to give Tulsa the 3-1 win.

The Golden Hurricane will play again on Sunday against an opponent TBD.