WCWS first look: Oklahoma vs. Stanford
Oklahoma softball fans are allowed to celebrate the Super Regional final for as long as they want. Few who were in attendance at Marita Hynes Field will forget the three-run home run with two strikes in the top of the seventh by Kinzie Hansen to tie the game. Or the game-winning home run by Tiare Jennings in the ninth to win 8-7.
A magical moment, for sure. But the games go on. The Sooners took out Clemson in two contests in the Super Regional round to advance back to the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City.
Up first will be No. 9 Stanford on Thursday. TV and time designations are still TBD.
The Sooners and Tigers had never met in softball, but that’s not the case here. OU took care of Stanford 10-1 (6 innings) way back when Feb. 10 in California.
A first look at Round 2 between Oklahoma and Stanford.
Stanford (45-13)
Best hitter: River Mahler (.367 avg., 29 R, 21 RBI).
Best pitcher: Alana Vawter (20-8, 1.83 ERA, 17 CG, 179.2 IP, 147 K).
By the numbers: Stanford has 24 home runs as a team. That’s it. Aly Kaneshiro leads the team with seven, which sounds crazy when you compare that to the enormous numbers from OU. Vawter is one of three pitchers who have thrown at least 80 innings. In just 116.1 innings, NiJaree Canady has 193 strikeouts and is 16-1. The two combined for the clinching-victory at Duke on Saturday.
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Road to Oklahoma City
Regional: W 1-0 vs. LBSU; W 8-0 (6) vs. Florida; W 11-2 vs. Florida. Maybe some thought the Gators’ softball pedigree was going to carry the day, but Stanford never had a problem.
Super Regional: W 3-1 at Duke; W 7-2 at Duke. This is what Stanford can point toward. The Cardinal lost to the Blue Devils in the regular season in the exact same event where it lost to OU. Stanford had to go on the road and took care of business in two games when it mattered most.
First matchup
How long ago was this? This game isn’t even included in Oklahoma’s current 48-game winning streak. It made the Sooners 3-0. OU is now 56-1 overall. Some clutch hits paved the way here. Tiare Jennings had a two-run double as OU scored four runs in the second. Alyssa Brito added a three-run double in the fifth. Then Haley Lee walked it off with a two-run home run in the sixth to force the run-rule. Alex Storako pitched 5.2 innings and earned her first win of the year.
