OU Softball: Oklahoma Overpowers St. Thomas

Oklahoma moved to 33-3 on the year with the win, while St. Thomas dropped to 19-12.

Ella Parker had a chance to open the scoring in the first with two outs and two runners on, but her hard-hit ball was directed straight to St. Thomas center fielder Avery Wukawitz. 

Sanders didn’t allow the defense to make a play in the second. 

She led the inning off with a solo shot that barely snuck into the first row in right field to put OU up 1-0.

Ailana Agbayani then drew a walk and Isabela Emerling singled to give the Sooners a pair of baserunners. 

Maya Bland flew out, but she hit the ball deep enough to advance both runners, allowing OU to take advantage of chaos with Abigale Dayton stepping back up to the plate. 

She laid down a bunt, and St. Thomas pitcher Ella Cook fielded the ball in time to keep Agbayani at third. But Cook overthrew her catcher, and with the ball at the backstop, Agbayani scored. 

Nelly McEnroe-Marinas then cleared the bases with a single through the right side, pushing the Oklahoma lead to 4-0.

Gabbie Garcia’s single barely stayed fair, but it allowed McEnroe-Marinas to score, putting a pair of runners in scoring position for Parker with one out. 

Parker flew out, but Sanders hammered her second homer of the inning, a three-run shot, to extend the advantage to 8-0.

OU left-hander Kierston Deal started, but she was withdrawn after St. Thomas got a leadoff runner aboard with a slow-rolling infield single in the third. 

Deal allowed just two hits and a walk, but she registered no strikeouts. 

Isabella Smith took over and struck out the first batter, but she allowed a run off a two-out double. 

Smith quickly rebounded to end the top of the third and send OU’s bats back to the plate with an 8-1 lead. 

Sydney Barker crushed a three-run shot in the fourth to put OU up 11-1, then Sanders nearly hit her third bomb of the night, but the ball fell just short on the warning track.

After hitting the first home run of her career on Tuesday, freshman catcher Corri Hicks doubled her haul for the week with a no-doubter to left to put Oklahoma up 12-1.

Freshman Riley Zache then notched a career first when she singled with two outs in the fourth. 

Paytn Monticelli took the mound in the fifth, but she allowed a leadoff home run to Keira Murphy.

She then allowed back-to-back walks, and Cassidy Carby plated two with a double to cut the lead to 12-4. Carby was thrown out trying to stretch the hit to a triple, which settled Monticelli in. 

The right-hander retired the next two batters to end the game. 

Oklahoma is scheduled to take on UCF at 7 p.m. on Friday, weather permitting.