Sooners slug their way to Super Regionals with 12-1 win against Cal

NORMAN – No. 2 Oklahoma (48-7) softball belted four home runs and posted another run-rule win with a 12-1 victory over California (37-21) Sunday, May 18, at Love’s Field.

A crowd of 4,075 watched the Sooners put the finishing touches on the Norman Regional, during which they outscored their three opponents 31-3.

OU now will host a Super Regional against the Alabama-Virginia Tech winner in a best-of-three series. The start date of the Norman Super Regional is to be determined.

“I’ve said to you that this team hasn’t peaked,” Gasso said. “I’m starting to feel something right now and it’s pretty exciting. I could not be more pleased right now that this team is starting to hit on all their cylinders.”

The Sooners’ powerful display at the plate was topped by a tape-measure blast to right field from designated player Ella Parker, whose solo shot traveled 285 feet with an exit velocity of 81 mph and 33 degrees of loft.

“Probably one of the longest bombs I’ve seen here, for sure,” Gasso said.

Ailana Agbayani blasted a towering 3-run homer to power the Sooners to a 12-1 defeat of Cal, and OU advances to the Super Regionals.

Parker admitted she was surprised at what she had just done. “It was definitely a shock,” Parker said. “I think the first words out of my mouth were, ‘I don’t think I’ve ever hit a ball that far.’ It was the genuine feeling of shock.”

After a Nelly McEnroe-Marinas single to left, Ailana Agbayani added a towering 3-run homer to right to make the score 4-0 in the second inning.

“She has got a different focus right now,” Gasso said of Agbayani, whom she nearly asked to bunt in the at-bat. “I think you’re looking at a very hot postseason hitter here. I didn’t want to take the bat out of her hand. I wanted to see what she would do with it.”

Agbayani smiled and said, “All of us are just completely free (at the plate) because we’re so confident in each other to get the job done.”

In the fourth, OU set a season high for runs scored in an inning with seven.

Freshman shortstop Gabbie Garcia, who homered in the Sooners’ 11-2 triumph over the Bears on Saturday, started the scoring in the second inning with a solo shot to center.

Sophomore left fielder Kasidi Pickering stroked a 3-run homer to left to make the score 8-1.

Parker’s towering bomb made it 9-1. Later that same inning, she nearly added a grand slam with a fly-out at the warning track for the final out.

Pinch-hitter Corri Hicks blooped a bases-loaded single to left to make it 11-1 and Hannah Coor hit a sacrifice fly up against the left-field wall to set the final margin.

The Sooners collected 14 hits with Pickering, Parker, Garcia, McEnroe-Marinas and Agbayani collecting two each.

While the Bears used five different pitchers, OU seniors Sam Landry (22-4) and Isabella Smith and junior Paytn Monticelli combined for a two-hitter.

“I’m really pleased with the pitching staff,” Gasso said of the group that allowed just two earned runs over the three games.