OU Softball: Oklahoma Smashes Cal to Advance to Super Regionals

Sam Landry started again for Gasso, and outside of scoring on a fielding error in the second inning, Cal generated virtually no offense to battle OU’s barrage. 

She pitched three innings, allowing just one hit and two walks while striking out three.

The Sooners improved to 48-7 on the year, and Cal finished the season 37-21.

Oklahoma was unable to turn Kasidi Pickering’s leadoff double into a run in the first inning, but the offense started humming in the second. 

Freshman shortstop Gabbie Garcia led the frame off with a home run to open the scoring. 

It was Garcia’s team-leading 18th of the year, and it was her second-straight at-bat with a bomb after she went yard in the fourth inning of Saturday’s victory over the Golden Bears. 

Nelly McEnroe-Marinas then singled through the left side and Cydney Sanders drew a walk to put a pair on for Ailana Agbayani with no outs. 

She battled Cal starter Miranda De Nava to a full-count, fouling off a pair of pitches, but Agbayani caught all of De Nava’s seventh offering. 

The OU second baseman swatted a no-doubter to right field, her fourth long ball of the year, to put the Sooners up 4-0.

In the bottom of the second, Oklahoma gifted Cal a run. 

Landry was unable to successfully field Mia Phillips’ slow-roller and fire over to first. The OU ace missed Sanders and the ball rolled up the right field line. 

Sydney Barker’s throw home was a step slow, and Lagi Quiroga scored. 

Landry quickly recovered and induced a ground ball to get out of the inning and the Sooners carried a 4-1 lead into the third.

Abby Dayton ripped a single up the middle to extend OU’s lead to 5-1 in the fourth, which brought Pickering up with two on and no outs. 

Pickering then hammered her third home runs in two games against Cal. The three-run shot put Oklahoma up 8-1, virtually ending the contest. 

Ella Parker put the cherry on top. 

She hit a solo shot that was tracked at 285 feet over the bleachers in right field. 

The Sooners weren’t done. Barker singled, then pinch hitters Tia Milloy and Maya Bland both drew walks to load the bases for freshman Riley Zache with no outs. 

Zache singled, then two batters later freshman Corri Hicks singled to extend the lead to 11-1.

Hannah Coor’s sacrifice fly pushed the advantage to 12-1, which closed out the Sooners’ half of the fourth. 

Isabella Smith entered the game for Landry, and after allowing a leadoff single, she quickly retired Cal.

Paytn Monticelli got the ball for the fifth inning, and she closed out the win.