The Sooners used a pair of five-run innings to overwhelm the Cal State Fullerton Titans on Friday night.
On the same day Isabella Smith pitched a five inning perfect game, Patty Gasso opted to use virtually her entire pitching staff.
Four different Sooners saw action in the circle in OU’s evening contest against Cal State Fullerton, but the result was the same.
No. 2 Oklahoma prevailed over the Titans 13-3 at Anderson Family Field in Fullerton, CA, to move the Sooners to 4-0 on the year.
While the pitching staff executed their game plan to perfection, true freshman shortstop Gabbie Garcia stole the show in the fourth inning.
She hit her first collegiate home run — a one out grand slam — to bust the game open.
Garcia’s no-doubter followed an RBI-single from Cydney Sanders to put OU up 5-0, and the visitors never looked back.
The scoring flurry came after the Sooners only recorded one hit in the first three innings, but OU still found ways to get runners on base.
Outfielder Abby Dayton wore the first pitch of the game, but Oklahoma stranded a pair of runners in the first. Sanders drew a two-out walk in the second, but the Sooners’ contact on pitches seemed to always find its way to a Cal State Fullerton glove.
Things finally came together in the fourth.
Ailana Agbayani got aboard with a walk and OU catcher Isabela Emerling wore a pitch to put two runners on. A fielding error loaded the bases up for Oklahoma and Sanders and Garcia inflicted their damage from there.
Dayton got hit again and another pair of walks loaded the bases for a second time in the fourth inning, this time with two outs for Agbayani.
The Sooners were unable to pile on any further, however, as Agbayani struck out swinging.
While the offense overpowered the Titans, Gasso and associate head coach and pitching coach Jennifer Rocha’s pitching staff handled business in the circle.
Veteran left-hander Kierston Deal started things off. She faced just six batters, recording five outs and allowing one hit, before making way for right-hander Paytn Monticelli in the second inning.
Monticelli sat down both batters she faced before Gasso then handed the ball to freshman Audrey Lowry.
Lowry cruised through the end of the third and the fourth inning, but Nataly Lozano dinged the lefty for a three-run shot in the bottom of the fifth to cut Oklahoma’s advantage to 5-3.
Gasso let Lowry take on eight batters before turning to Louisiana transfer Sam Landry. Lowry struck out three batters and allowed three hits, including a double off the top of the outfield wall and the home run.
Another pair of hit batters helped OU load the bases up again in the sixth inning for freshman Sydney Barker.
She hit a chopper to second base, and Cal State Fullerton tried to throw out Dayton at home, but the throw was late.
The ball sprayed past catcher Alexia Lopez, allowing Ella Parker to sneak home as well in a close play at the plate to push the lead back out to 7-3.
In the ensuing at-bat, Emerling belted a three-run shot to make the advantage 10-3.
Landry allowed just one single in the sixth, then Barker tacked on three more runs in the top of the seventh with her first career home run.
Gasso rolled with Landry in the seventh, and she sat the Titans down in order to close out the win.
Gasso will now take her team to Los Angeles where they will take on Loyola Marymount in their only contest on Saturday at 5 p.m.