Jayda Coleman praises team effort after narrow win vs. Oregon
On Sunday, Oklahoma defeated Oregon 3-2 to advance to the super regionals. After the game, Sooners senior Jayda Coleman broke down the team’s narrow win.
“That Oregon team is a really good team,” Coleman said. “They threw out a lot of punches at us and we just had to punch back. But, it was a good day.
“I think their pitchers were doing really well with getting us inside, going outside, just kind of keeping us off balance. But, I think for our team just swinging hard, trusting the process and trusting each other will get the job done.”
It’s got the done job so far. Oklahoma has won seven games in a row. The win was the Sooners’ second over the Ducks in 48 hours. On Saturday, Oklahoma defeated Oregon 6-3.
In the triumph on Sunday, Coleman tallied a team-high three hits on four at-bats, ultimately scoring two runs. Coleman boasts a .393 batting average this season. In only the first three games of the NCAA Tournament, Coleman has already massed six hits and two RBI.
Of course, postseason success is nothing new for Jayda Coleman and her fellow Sooners. Oklahoma has advanced to the super regionals every year since 2010. Further, the prestigious program has won the Women’s College World Series in the past three seasons.
Now, the Sooners will look to extend their streak another year with the regional round behind them. Oklahoma’s next opponent has not yet been determined.
Alabama HC Patrick Murphy records 1,300th career win
On Friday, Alabama softball head coach Patrick Murphy secured his 1,300th career win with a 1-0 victory over USC Upstate in the Crimson Tide’s first game in the 2024 NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional. Instead of raving about his accomplishment after the game, Murphy praised his players.
“To have two freshmen [pitchers] in their first postseason starts put together performances like that was remarkable to see,” Murphy said. “Kudos to [Upstate pitcher Sierra Maness] and Jocelyn Briski. She has been doing a great job for us this year.
“In the postseason, it’s survive and advance. It doesn’t matter if it’s 1-0, 8-0 or 10-9 — you only need to score one more run than the other team. USC Upstate made a lot of plays as did our defense. Briski was awesome and Bailey Dowling came up with the key hit.”
Alabama’s pitching was excellent in the win on Friday, only giving up two hits and a walk to USC Upstate while delivering three strikeouts. Briski pitched for 6.1 innings before Kayla Beaver came in to close the game.
Alabama’s stellar defense was nothing new. Friday marked the Crimson Tide’s 15th shutout victory of the season and its third when tied after 5.0 innings. Jenna Johnson and Bailey Dowling led the way on offense, each recording two hits, their ninth and seventh multi-hit performances of the season, respectively.