Big XII Softball final. Sooners beat OSU 2-0 to win the XII Tourney Title.

[Plainosooner]

Aviu just led off B5 with a double down the line in right. Rogers pinch running.

Pendley hits it out to left center on a 3-2 pitch. 2-0 Sooners.

Hatfield popped to right.

Wodach singled off the glove of 3b. Runner on first, one out.

Taukeiaho soft liner to short. Two outs. Sparks pinch running for Wodach.

Mendes grounded to 2nd.

We had only one hit, till I pulled out my laptop to record the play by play.

 

[Plainosooner]

T6 Cowgirls get a lead off walk on five pitches. Then a 3-2 strikeout on a ten pitch at bat. And with one out and a runner on first, Gasso brings in Lowary.

Lowary got a soft grounder to 2nd that wasn't a DP because the runner stopped on Clifton's try to tag and throw, And had to settle for just one. Then Lowary struck out the SS going up and in with the shift on. 2-0 heading to B6.

//////////////
Clifton grounded out third.

Knighten lined to 1st.

Romero popped to third.

Needum, the OSU pitcher is great at jamming almost everybody.

 

[Plainosooner]

T7

Lead single for OSU on a bloop over Arnold.

6-4 FC Hatfield to Arnold. One out. Top of the order batting

FC 1-4 Lowary to Clifton. two down.

Ground out to to Arnold. Game over. Sooners win the XII tournament, 2-0

 

[iasooner1]

That should get us close to that 8-ball; if not we'll be fine. Shine on Lady Big XII champs !

 

[sybarite43]

OU has now pitched four straight shutouts.

 

[Plainosooner]

And Parker is up around 38 or 39 consecutive scoreless innings. The offense is bothersome. Needum is solid, but she has shut down OUr offense the last two meetings. Two left hand swings, one by Pendley with one on, and one by Mendes with the bases empty, are the only two moments of offense for OU.

They ran themselves out of the first, after having two on with no outs. After that, she retired 11 in a row. OSU did a lot more against Parker, than OU did against Needum. Clifton booted a poorly played grounder, waiting on a bad hop and getting one.

That's now 16 Sooner wins in a row in Bedlam Softball. Maybe OSU is better than I think they are, but they'll have their hands full in whatever regional they visit.

I"m not as confident this season, as I was heading into the NCAA's last year. We'll see.

 

[sybarite43]

I didn't think there was much of a chance last year. We had one pitcher. I had some confidence in our hitters. But, I wasn't confident that our freshmen would rise to the task when I had seen seniors fold under the pressure.

This year, I think we probably have about a one in three shot.. But, everyone else is staggering. Florida couldn't score. Florida State lost three on the road. A&M, Auburn, Tennessee, and Baylor limped home. The SEC final is Ole Miss vs LSU---really?

We have solid pitching, and we know our hitting did hit last year in the CWS. Nobody else seems to be saying that they have earned it.

 

[bullmarket]

.

I"m not as confident this season, as I was heading into the NCAA's last year. We'll see.

I am much More confident this season vs, last season Plaino.

Nobody (Not even you Plaino my friend) in the nation thought OU could win a National Championship with 4 freshmen starting Romero Knighten, Clifton & Aviu and a sophomore pitcher Paige Parker who had no backup pitcher. Parker had to pitch every single inning of every single game. with no rest and no backup.

Now OU's freshmen are now matured Sophomores and the OU team have added 2 new freshmen superstars Lopez and Mendes. OU also added another great pitcher Paige Lowery.

Now Paige Parker who is now pitching great has excellent relief help with other dependable pitchers.

I feel Much More Confortable that our Present team wins it all this season vs. Last season.

We are a better team this season vs. last season's National Championship team
Much Better and we are winning and winning as the regular season closes and we are a much deeper team.
And this 2017 OU team is the only team in the nation who knows what it takes to win a National Championship.
We are the only team in the nation who returns to the WCWS more seasoned players who have won a National Championship.

No other team is even close to having many of their players with a National Championship experience and a championship win.like OU has.

I am ready for two in a row!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BOOMER SOONER!

 

[Plainosooner]

Bull, I promise that after the 2016 team run ruled Tennessee in Knoxville, (okay technically it wasn't run rule, because the game went 7 innings, but it was a run rule margin that we got to in the 7th) I absolutely thought we had a great chance to win it. I knew that we wouldn't have a chance if we ended up in the loser's bracket in any part of the tournament. But we avoided the loser's bracket, which allowed us to rely on Parker. If we played in must wins with any other pitcher, it would have been disaster.

But I loved the way that they were playing. And when you pitch great, which we did when Parker was pitching, and when you play great defense, which we did once Clifton became the starting 2nd baseman, I thought we had a great chance. I was much more confident heading into the tournament last season, than I am this year, especially after we got a three seeding, which I didn't think the powers that be, would give us

Sybarite said one in three chance. That goes to one in eight to ten, if we don't end up an eight seed or better. And if we make it to eight seed, and Florida is a one, then I think me might not score on them. If Needum can shut down OUr offense, I'm not real confident about playing a team from the SEC who has two starting pitchers with ERA numbers under 1.00. Barnhill is under 0.40. You never know. But if we are a road team in the Supers, I don't like OUr chances.

I do think that the SEC in softball is a bit like the SEC in football. They are more athletic than most everybody else except maybe the Pac 12. But despite the athleticism, they aren't special offensively. They are a bit like OU. If they play against teams that have good or better pitching, and play really good defense, then you can slow their offenses considerably.

I believe that OSU and Baylor are as good offensively as anybody in the SEC. They aren't as good in the circle as the best teams in the SEC, and they aren't great defensively. But they can compete with those teams, given a fair chance. It's just that you don't get a fair chance often on the road in baseball or softball in the playoffs. It's just the way it is.

What the committee decides in the next 23 hours is going to have a big impact on how good OUr championship chances are.