Patty Gasso explains Oklahoma's 'relay race' approach to pitching in Game 2 vs. Texas
Oklahoma isn’t looking for a single pitcher to steal the show in Game 2 of the Women’s College World Series. Instead, the Sooners want a cohesive effort on the mound. During an in-game interview, OU head coach Patty Gasso revealed why Oklahoma used three separate pitchers in the first four innings.
“It’s matchups. Good matchups for us,” Gasso said. “[Paytn Monticelli] did a great job getting us out of there. I’m really proud of Karlie Keeney, what she did. She hasn’t thrown a lot. We’re just trying to get a place where maybe we can bring out our big guns here. But, it’s tag-teaming. We were talking about a relay race. Just hand the baton off and keep running.”
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It’s a different approach than the one Oklahoma used to secure an 8-3 victory against Texas in Game 1. In the win, Oklahoma LHP Kelly Maxwell pitched a complete game, only allowing four hits and three runs while tallying eight strikeouts.
As of this report, Oklahoma’s change in strategy hasn’t paid off. Texas has three runs through four innings, the same amount of runs it scored during the entire first game. Patty Gasso claims Texas’ success in Game 2 is not due to any changes the Longhorns have made.
“We know them. We know what to look for,” Gasso said. “We’ve shown them some new looks but we know what we’re dealing with. So, it’s just getting runners on base and trying to drive some of them in. We what’s going on.”
Women’s College World Series schedule
Thursday, May 30
Game 1: (6) UCLA 4, (14) Alabama 1
Game 2: (2) Oklahoma 9, (10) Duke 1
Game 3: (1) Texas 4, (8) Stanford 0
Game 4: (4) Florida 1, (5) Oklahoma State 0
Friday, May 31
Game 5: Alabama 2, Duke 1
Game 6: Stanford 8, Oklahoma State 0 (6 innings)
Saturday, June 1
Game 7: Oklahoma 1, UCLA 0
Game 8: Texas 10, Florida 0 (five innings)
Sunday, June 2
Game 9: Florida 6, Alabama 4
Game 10: Stanford 3, UCLA 1
Monday, June 3
Game 11: Florida 9, Oklahoma 3
Game 13: Texas 1, Stanford 0
Tuesday, June 4
Game 12: Oklahoma 6, Florida 5
Wednesday, June 5
WCWS Final Game 1: Oklahoma 8, Texas 3
Thursday, June 6
WCWS Final Game 2: Texas vs. TBD, 8 p.m. | ESPN
Friday, June 7
WCWS Final Game 3 (if necessary): Texas vs TBD, 8 p.m. | ESPN