Softball Drop Chance at Handing #1 Oklahoma First Loss, 3-1
NORMAN, Oklahoma – Baylor softball fell in a heartbreaker Sunday afternoon at No. 1 Oklahoma, 3-1, in seven innings.
Baylor had a chance at a 1-0 win, with Dariana Orme forcing a two-out pop-fly into foul territory from Kinzie Hansen. However, left fielder Taylor Strain overran the ball and missed a chance to end the game. From there, the Sooners found new life and hammered a walk-off homer to win 3-1.
In a pitchers’ duel, the Orme and the Bears held the Sooners scoreless until the seventh inning.
In the leadoff spot, McKenzie Wilson drew a walk to leadoff the game, with OU starting pitcher Hope Trautwein delivering just her 10th walk this season.
After the first two Sooners reached base, a fielder’s choice, fly out and groundout erased the threat in the first.
The Bears and Sooners each went three-up, three-down in the second inning. Wilson picked up her second walk of the day in the third and then stole second, but she was the only base-runner for BU in the inning.
Sydney Collazos walked in the fourth as the only Bear on base, but BU’s defense shut OU down with another 1-2-3 bottom half of the inning.
The Sooners loaded the bases in the bottom half of the fifth, but Dariana Orme struck out Jocelyn Alo to keep OU off the scoreboard.
Baylor took the 1-0 lead in the top of the sixth, when a one-out double by McKenzie Wilson and an OU error put runners on the corners. Kaci West came up big with a sacrifice fly to right field that scored Wilson with the first run of the game.
The Bears sat the Sooners down in order for the third time in the game in the bottom of the sixth.
Josie Bower was the only baserunner for the Bears in the top of the seventh after being hit by a pitch, but no more runs came across for BU.
With Baylor clinging to the 1-0 lead and trying to hand the Sooners their first loss of the season, Orme retired the first two batters in the seventh with a flyout and strikeout. But, after back-to-back singles, Tiare Jennings hit a walk-off three-run homer that extended OU’s winning streak to 31-straight.
HIGHLIGHTS
- The last time OU was held scoreless through five innings was Feb. 8, 2020
- Dariana Orme pitched a complete game with five strikeouts, only allowing four hits.
- 3 of the 4 hits Orme allowed came with two outs in the 7th inning.
- McKenzie Wilson recorded two walks and a double on the day
- Kaci West hit a sacrifice fly bringing home the Bears’ only run
- The Bears broke the Sooners’ 13-game run-rule streak
- BU is one of five teams to play a complete game against OU
- Only the second time this season Jocelyn Alo has struck out twice in a game
TOP QUOTES
Glenn Moore on the game…
“This game will go down as a loss but it was anything but. I can’t say enough about the competitive spirit with this bunch. Dari pitched one of the best games of any Baylor pitcher. I hurt for them, but we made a decision to play every inning as if the score didn’t matter. They played that way this whole weekend. It was an honor to be in the dugout with them.”