Patty Gasso analyzes Jordy Bahl's clutch ability

Oklahoma ace pitcher Jordy Bahl missed most of the postseason last season due to an injury but she is making up for the games she missed in 2022 with some clutch performances this time around for the Sooners. Her latest heroics came Monday in the Women’s College World Series semifinals versus Stanford.

Bahl came out of the bullpen for Oklahoma with the game tied at 2 and shut down the Cardinal hitters for four straight innings.

Over 55 pitches, of which a whopping 41 of them were strikes, Bahl held Stanford’s offense at bay. She allowed only four hits during her outing while striking out six batters.

The performance allowed for the Sooners’ breakthrough in the top of the ninth inning when Taire Jennings smacked a two-run double to give Oklahoma that 4-2 lead.

Bahl shut down Stanford in the ninth for her 21st win of the season.

“I think she’s been delivering since she was delivered from the womb really,” Oklahoma head coach Patty Gasso said with a laugh after the win. “She is just made just tough as nails like that, just good, down-home, Midwestern kid that has a work ethic beyond anything I’ve seen, that has a passion and fearlessness about her and just absolutely embraces the biggest moments you could ever imagine.

“When a lot of pitchers would go, ‘No, thank you. Don’t call me.’ She’s like, ‘Give me the ball. Give me the ball right now. Give it to me at the start of the game, give it to me in the middle, give it to me at the end, it doesn’t matter, I’ll be ready.'”

Bahl entered the game with no out in the sixth inning and the leadoff runner on base. She then allowed a single to put two on with no out. But the sophomore got three straight outs to end the Stanford rally.

The first two batters for Stanford later reached base in the eighth inning, giving the Cardinal runners on first and second with no out. But once again, Bahl got three outs in a row to shut down the opportunity.

“It’s really inspired a lot of our players to have that kind of mentality,” Gasso said. “I think they say it very well. We’re not super results oriented. It’s not, okay, if we don’t win this game — we don’t talk like that. We don’t talk about any of those games. It’s just allowing their mentality of love for the game and each other to take place without a lot of pushing and prodding from the coaching staff.”