Alynah Torres' grand slam paves OU to victory in OKC

OKLAHOMA CITY – There wasn’t going to be too much to separate the OU and Baylor softball teams. Not with the starting pitchers in the circle.

But once OU got rolling and chased Baylor’s best out, head coach Patty Gasso made a decision that showed once again why the Sooners are so dang good. And why she is who she is.

With OU up 4-1 with one out in the bottom of the fifth, Gasso said it was time for Alynah Torres to pinch hit. One grand slam later, and there ya go.

A 1-1 game entering the bottom of the fifth saw OU in firm control and cruising to the 8-1 victory against the Bears on Friday night at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium.

“No-brainer is what it was,” said Gasso about the Torres decision. “It’s tough for both of those athletes between her and Avery (Hodge) because they both bring different offenses to us. Avery might have a little more range defensively. Alynah has a little more power. You pick where you need them both.

“Alynah is showing – she came off the bench with the big hit. but she’s showing she needs to be in the game because she’s hot. Now we have another wonderful problem that is going to benefit us. That’s the beauty of this team right now. As long as they can stay with us and not let their emotions get involved, we’re going to do some wonderful things. That spot at second that they’re sharing has been a cool thing to watch play itself out.”

One mistake or one clutch hit would be the difference. It was OU that got the edge, and that hit belonged to senior Tiare Jennings. And that busted the floodgates open.

Jennings set a little history early and brought the big bomb later to get that seven-run frame going in the bottom of the fifth.

Jennings hit a double in her second plate appearance, to become the all-time OU leader with 59 doubles.

“I don’t even want to start taking about this yet,” Gasso said. “She’s just probably one of the most clutch athletes I’ve ever coached, without question. I mean when we need it, she does it.

Then what Jennings did in the fifth allowed fans to breathe just a bit.

Jayda Coleman earned the leadoff walk, and then Jennings delivered with the two-run shot. It is her team-leading 11^th home run this season.

One big hit, which it was, would be enough with the way Kelly Maxwell was bringing it. She didn’t allow hit in the first three innings and was able to shake off the one-spot from the Bears in the fourth.

Maxwell pitched 5.1 innings, allowing three hits with one run and four strikeouts. She is now 3-0 with a 0.38 ERA in conference play. Paytn Monticelli came in to close out the rest.

Torres, though, continues one heck of a week. She had two two-run home runs in Wednesday’s victory. And now adds the grand slam.

Note: The attendance hit 8,798 Friday. That is the second biggest single-game regular season crowd for a softball game. Of course, last year against Texas in OKC is the best.

“I think that’s pretty legit,” said Rylie Boone, who had three hits. “Women’s sports — invest in them. I think it’s pretty awesome just to look at the crowd and also let teams come and play in this atmosphere.

“I feel like for us to do this on a Friday night in conference, I think is pretty awesome and it just shows that women’s sports is growing and also thanking the people who came before us.”

Up next

No. 1 OU (29-1, 7-0 Big 12) continues the three-game set with Baylor. But we move back to Norman and Love’s Field. And we are now playing a doubleheader Saturday. A split doubleheader with games at 2 p.m. as scheduled. Then clearing the stadium for a 5:30 second game. There is a strong potential of severe weather hitting Norman on Sunday, causing the change.