OU Softball: Defense Bought Oklahoma Time to Overcome Tennessee

Oklahoma turned a double play to end the fourth and the fifth inning, too, two moments that proved crucial. 

Garcia, Agbayani and Sanders combined to end the fourth, something OU coach Patty Gasso has grown accustomed to this season. 

“They love, love, love defense so much that my shoulder, my knee, everything is falling apart because we just have to hit them ground balls constantly,” Gasso said. “They're all great hitters, but a lot of them, if you asked them what they like better, they'd say defense.”

The combination to end the fifth inning wasn’t as common. 

Dodge lifted a ball into center field, and Oklahoma outfielder Hannah Coor was there to make the grab. 

She noticed Pannell jump too far off first base, and she fired a strike to Sanders to gun down the Tennessee third baseman.

“Hannah Coor's play was an absolute momentum changer, and that really saved the game for us because they were about ready to go off,” Gasso said. “… These prime-time defensive plays brought momentum into our dugout.”

The sixth inning didn’t end in a double play, but third baseman Nelly McEnroe-Marinas was able to knock down a hard-hit ball and dive back to the bag for the third out of the inning, saving at least another run in the process.

OU’s heroics both in the field and at the plate earned the Sooners a day off before clashing with 6-seeded Texas on Saturday at 2 p.m. 

Oklahoma’s offense means the four-time defending national champs are never out of a game, but the defense keeps Gasso’s team in the fight long enough to deliver clutch at-bats. 

“They believe, and I believe, defense wins championships,” Gasso said. “And we had our backs against the wall, and we're rolling double plays to get out of it and keeping ourselves in the game.”