OU Softball: Oklahoma's Timely Hitting Shatters Boston U's Momentum

 After a one-two-three first inning, Boston University’s position players strutted off the field with wide grins.

Those smiles didn’t last very long.

Oklahoma, the No. 2-overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, scored five runs in the second inning and added two in the third. The Sooners tacked on one more in the bottom of the fifth to end the game, thanks to a Corri Hicks home run.

“Timely hitting wins you games,” OU coach Patty Gasso said. “We had runners on base quite a bit after the first inning.”

BU starting pitcher Kasey Ricard struck out two batters and retired the side quickly in the first. But it didn’t take long for the Sooners to make her uncomfortable in the second.

Three singles in a row loaded the bases with only one out. Then Ricard hit Isabela Emerling with a pitch, allowing OU to break the scoreless tie. Hannah Coor then drove in the runners on second and third with a two-RBI single.

The Terriers subsequently pulled Ricard. And just like that, their brief spurt of momentum was gone.

“We were just doing a really good job of finding ways to move runners or score runners,” Gasso said.

Third baseman Nelly McEnroe-Marinas widened the gap before Boston U got the final out. With the bases loaded, she drove in Coor and Kasidi Pickering to make it a five-run game.

McEnroe-Marinas missed the entire 2024 season with an injury, and this marked her first-ever hit in the NCAA Regionals.

“Tournament vibes are through the roof,” McEnroe-Marinas said. “I’m just so grateful to be in it with this team.”

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OU’s timely hitting was reminiscent of its effort against Arkansas in the SEC Tournament semifinals.

The Sooners trailed the Razorbacks 6-1 after four innings. But they rallied late in the game, logging five hits in the last three innings before Gabbie Garcia hit a walk-off three-run home run to move OU into the championship game.

Oklahoma shared the SEC Tournament title with Texas A&M, as the game was canceled due to inclement weather.

Next for OU is a date with two-seed California, which beat Omaha 1-0 in the first game of the Norman Regional. Golden Bears ace Annabel Teperson surrendered only two hits and one walk as she threw 116 pitches.