{"id":34627,"date":"2022-06-03T05:33:29","date_gmt":"2022-06-03T05:33:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/ou-sooners-beat-northwestern-wildcats-in-the-ncaa-softball-wcws-opener\/"},"modified":"2022-06-03T05:33:29","modified_gmt":"2022-06-03T05:33:29","slug":"ou-sooners-beat-northwestern-wildcats-in-the-ncaa-softball-wcws-opener","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/ou-sooners-beat-northwestern-wildcats-in-the-ncaa-softball-wcws-opener\/","title":{"rendered":"OU Sooners beat Northwestern Wildcats in the NCAA softball WCWS opener"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<aside class=\"gnt_em gnt_em__fp gnt_em_vp__tp gnt_em__el\" aria-label=\"Video - Northwestern prepares to face No. 1 Oklahoma in Women's College World Series\"\/>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Patty Gasso got the conversation started.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Jocelyn Alo finished it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Alo&#8217;s fiery speech kickstarted an OU offense that appeared to be going through the motions early, and ignited an offensive outburst unlike any the Sooners have ever had in the Women&#8217;s College World Series.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">OU turned in back-to-back monster innings, flexing their offensive muscle in a 13-2, five-inning run-rule win over Northwestern at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The Sooners (55-2) will take on Texas &#8211; one of two teams to beat OU this season &#8211; at 2 pm Saturday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Northwestern (45-12) will play UCLA at 6 pm Friday in an elimination game.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Wildcats starter Danielle Williams made a good percentage of the Sooners&#8217; lineup look silly in the first two innings, bringing back visions of James Madison&#8217;s Odicci Alexander&#8217;s breakout performance in last year&#8217;s WCWS first-round upset of the Sooners.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Williams&#8217; changeup baffled OU early, making some of college softball&#8217;s best hitters look silly they were so in front of the ball.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><strong class=\"gnt_ar_b_al\">&#8216;Made differently&#8217;:<\/strong>Jordy Bahl makes dramatic return for OU softball in WCWS opener<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Gasso, OU&#8217;s legendary coach, had prepared her team for Williams&#8217; stuff going in.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">But after the second inning, Gasso&#8217;s tone took a turn.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cIt went from talking to stern conversation,\u201d Gasso said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">That&#8217;s when Alo stepped in, and Gasso backed away.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cWe have a pretty straight-laced program, but when Jocy jumps in, she&#8217;ll say it the way she means it,\u201d Gasso said.  \u201cI just step out so she can be herself.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">&#8220;The response was through the roof.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><strong class=\"gnt_ar_b_al\">Blackberries:<\/strong>Why Jocelyn Alo&#8217;s journey from Hawaii to OU softball is &#8216;like some unbelievable fiction&#8217;<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_tw\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-method=\"loadTwitter\" data-v-id=\"1532470690762395648\" aria-label=\"Twitter Embed\"\/>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Things had gotten shaky for the Sooners in the third after Rachel Lewis&#8217; solo homer off Hope Trautwein had OU trailing for the first time in the postseason.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">But Trautwein got out of the inning and then OU&#8217;s hitters did what they&#8217;ve done all season &#8211; give opposing pitchers nightmares.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The difference from the first two innings was evident immediately when Rylie Boone started the third with a laser-shot double over Northwestern right fielder Lewis&#8217; head.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><strong class=\"gnt_ar_b_al\">Carlson:<\/strong>&#8216;Peloton legs&#8217; drive OU softball to great heights.  Here&#8217;s how Sooners built their strength.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><img class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" style=\"height:440px\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2022\/06\/02\/NOKL\/c3cc03f2-1410-4028-aea2-356d63a9f5da-_LX19770.jpg?ssl=1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2022\/06\/02\/NOKL\/c3cc03f2-1410-4028-aea2-356d63a9f5da-_LX19770.jpg?width=1320&amp;height=880&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp 2x\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"OU's Jana Johns (20) celebrates after hitting a grand slam in the fourth inning of a 13-2 win against Northwestern on Thursday.\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"\/><\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Standing at second, Boone slapped both hands on the dirt.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">&#8220;I got you,&#8221; Boone yelled toward the Sooners&#8217; dugout.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Boone was the first of six consecutive hitters to reach base.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Jana Johns followed with a single to left to tie the game, before a Jayda Coleman single and Alo&#8217;s walk loaded the bases.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Then Tiare Jennings blasted Williams&#8217; first pitch &#8211; a changeup &#8211; over the centerfield wall, sending the throng of Sooners fans into a frenzy.<\/p>\n<aside aria-label=\"advertisement\" class=\"gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\"\/>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cI kind of just stuck to my timing like I did,\u201d Jennings said.  &#8220;I kind of had a feeling that it was going to come first pitch, so I saw the ball up in the zone and just went from there.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Gasso had preached the importance of timing going into the game, but seeing it in person is a big difference from facing it live.<\/p>\n<aside aria-label=\"advertisement\" class=\"gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\"\/>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">But before Coleman, OU&#8217;s leadoff hitter, came to the plate for the second time, OU made the adjustment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cJust focusing on hitting the ball, letting it get deep and just hitting it to right field because we were early all game,\u201d Johns said, \u201cand I think letting the atmosphere get to you kind of.  You just have to breathe and stick to the process. &#8220;<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><strong class=\"gnt_ar_b_al\">Tramel&#8217;s ScissorTales:<\/strong>WCWS coaches marvel at how NCAA softball World Series has evolved<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"gnt_em_gl_i\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2022\/06\/02\/NOKL\/6969f982-8d39-49e4-bee3-afd34e768c76-_LX19161.jpg?resize=660%2C372&#038;ssl=1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2022\/06\/02\/NOKL\/6969f982-8d39-49e4-bee3-afd34e768c76-_LX19161.jpg?crop=4793,2697,x0,y243&amp;width=1320&amp;height=744&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp 2x\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"372\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Boone delivered a second hit in the inning, this one a single up the middle, to put the Sooners up 6-1 after three.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The onslaught continued in the fourth, as the first four hitters reached base and then Johns delivered OU&#8217;s second grand slam of the day to put OU up 13-1.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">It was the most runs scored by the Sooners in their 61 WCWS games.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_anc\" id=\"gnt_atomsnc\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-method=\"loadAnc\" aria-label=\"Newsletter signup form\"\/>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">They&#8217;d previously scored 10 twice &#8211; last season in a 10-3 win over UCLA and 10-2 over Texas in 2013. Both years, OU ultimately won the national championship.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Jennings&#8217; grand slam was also the first in program history during the WCWS, and OU became just the second team in WCWS history to hit two grand slams in a game, joining Georgia in 2009.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The run-rule victory was the Sooners&#8217; program-record 39th of the season and their fourth of the postseason.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><strong class=\"gnt_ar_b_al\">WCWS 2022:<\/strong>Game times, scores &#038; TV schedule for NCAA softball Women&#8217;s College World Series<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"gnt_ar_b_h2\">NCAA softball scoreboard<\/h2>\n<aside class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_hf gnt_em__lp\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-type=\"method\" data-gl-method=\"loadHb64\" aria-label=\"ncaa softball\" data-t-cel=\"hb64\" data-gl-hb64=\"PGRpdiBjbGFzcz0ic2NvcmVzdHJlYW0td2lkZ2V0LWNvbnRhaW5lciIgZGF0YS1zc193aWRnZXRfdHlwZT0idmVydFNjb3JlYm9hcmQiIHN0eWxlPSJoZWlnaHQ6NjAwcHg7IiBkYXRhLXVzZXItd2lkZ2V0LWlkPSI0OTQ3OCI+PC9kaXY+PHNjcmlwdCBhc3luYz0iYXN5bmMiIHR5cGU9InRleHQvamF2YXNjcmlwdCIgc3JjPSJodHRwczovL3Njb3Jlc3RyZWFtLmNvbS9hcGlKc0Nkbi93aWRnZXRzL2VtYmVkLmpzIj48L3NjcmlwdD48L2Rpdj4=\"\/><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Patty Gasso got the conversation started. Jocelyn Alo finished it. Alo&#8217;s fiery speech kickstarted an OU offense that appeared to be going through the motions early, and ignited an offensive outburst unlike any the Sooners have ever had in the Women&#8217;s College World Series. OU turned in back-to-back monster innings, flexing their offensive muscle in &hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"> <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/ou-sooners-beat-northwestern-wildcats-in-the-ncaa-softball-wcws-opener\/\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">OU Sooners beat Northwestern Wildcats in the NCAA softball WCWS opener<\/span> Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2022\/06\/02\/NOKL\/a06bc7ae-82bd-4586-9194-6ff1c7dbefaa-_LX19104.jpg?width=660&height=441&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34627"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34627"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34627\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34627"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34627"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34627"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}