Lauren ties the HR record

[Plainosooner]

Chamberlain hit her 90th to go up 5 to 2 in the 4th. Pendley hit a solo earlier, her 83rd.They might both beat the record.

Both teams threw their best pitcher to start all three games. The Baylor starter who lives in west Plano, but went to Hebron in LISD, blinked first. She was removed after the first two batters reached on solid singles in the third. Their reliever, who is eight and oh, got out of the inning holding the Sooner lead at 3 to 1. But little Pendley, now batting 9th, led of with a lined single opposite field to left to open the fourth, and Chamberlain absolutely ripped it to almost dead center. The Sooners lit up the Baylor number two and then number three pitchers, to go up 10 to 2 in a seven run inning.

Baylor put up a single run in T5 to keep the game going. But against the 4th Baylor pitcher of the game Whitney Ellis grounded a two out single off the glove of the 3B with runners at 1st and 3rd, making it 11 to 3, ending the game on run rule.
This post was edited on 4/18 9:46 PM by Plainosooner

 

[Soonersincefitty]

Man alive, if I didn't know better one could suggest both of those gals are some very easy on the eyes cyborgs, made in a lab to hit homeruns.

OUtstanding!

 

[Brentwood Sooner]

Is there a video replay of it?

 

[sybarite]

Originally posted by Brentwood Sooner:
Is there a video replay of it?

https://twitter.com/OU_Softball

The ball went some forty or fifty feet over the fence. It was crushed, and she knew it before she finished her swing. It was hit so hard that it was going over or through the fence.

Meanwhile, OU run-ruled Baylor 11-3 in five. It pretty much gives the title to OU. OSU has a good pitcher that did beat Baylor in one game. We've played everyone else that is a threat. KU is ranked. But, Texas swept them in Lawrence.

 

[runningback43]

Congrats on #90 Lauren.

 

[Section22Sooner]

Originally posted by runningback43:
Congrats on #90 Lauren.

Yes, congratulations Lauren!

 

[Plainosooner]

There will certainly still be some pressure on Lauren until she hits 91. But she has been pressing a little and when she finally has the record, she might be able to relax and be her again.

She did not have a hit in the series until her second AB today. If OU is going to challenge for an NC, they need her to be her.

 

[sybarite]

I wouldn't be surprised to see #91 against North Texas on Monday. She was greatly relieved to have that weight lifted, and I think making it to ninety was the key. She may go on a HR binge now that she no longer needs it. Wonder if they'll put Shelby ahead of her in the lineup trying to get Shelby to 90?

 

[Plainosooner]

I wouldn't think so. Lauren is a much better lead off batter because she takes a lot of pitches and makes the pitcher throw strikes. Usually. And I think she's a hair faster than Shelby.

I loved the batting order changes that Coach Gasso made today. As I suggested last weekend, she needed to move Parker down in the order, to save her an at bat and to make it less likely she'll need to be pinch run for.

I also think that ninth is the perfect place in the order for Nicole Pendley. The only thing I'd like to see different is to swap a righty in between Miller and Shelby, but moving Parker down and moving Self up were great ideas. Kady was on base her first four trips to the plate batting cleanup, I suspect for the first time this season.

I think Erin Miller batting third got Pendley better pitches to hit.

It was a really good offensive day. Ellis has been great behind the plate, but struggling in her recent at bats. She had two hits, including the game ending rbi for the eight run margin.

The defense looks very solid. The one big concern right now is a second pitcher. I just can't see them getting through the post season with Parker only. And I fear that all the innings she's throwing right now, won't serve her well in May and hopefully June.

We'll see who gets innings against North Texas Monday and then with four conference games Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday all on the road. With five games in seven days, surely somebody else is going to throw some innings.

 

[sybarite]

I think we'll see Pendley and Stevens in the next few games. Baylor was just too critical, and I think Baylor could hit Shelby. Texas couldn't. Baylor is better. Kind of need Stevens to come around, at least for relief.

Pitching Paige so much may get her stronger. She's never had to work this hard.

Kady has had some pop in her bat recently. Ellis also had a good game against Texas. She can get some key hits, and nobody expects it. Nicole seems to be off right now.

 

[Plainosooner]

The thing about Baylor is that they got double dipped at Louisiana -Lafayette last weekend scoring three runs in two games. Lafayette used their top two pitchers, on started each game. Now Lafayette is a very hard place to play. And Baylor had played Wednesday and Thursday in two different places before going to Louisiana for two on Saturday. That's a tough schedule for anybody. But it should be great for the hitters.

I agree that it was the crucial series of the conference schedule. But if Shelby can't get out Baylor hitters, she's not going to fare very well against teams in the NCAA tournament. Baylor is pretty good, but they're likely not one of the top dozen teams in the country.

The one possible concern here is that Pendley got hit on the hand in the at bat before her last inning in the circle last week in Austin, and she faced four batters after and three of them hit the ball very hard. She hasn't pitched since. When Parker struggled Thursday in the 8-0 loss, it was Leslie Miller, not Pendley or Stevens who entered the game. She got lit up for four runs while getting one out on a sac bunt. Her night ended on a three run homer given up. Stevens then came in and faced three batters, getting two outs and surrendering a five pitch BB in between.

It makes me think that Pendley's finger is going to make it hard to pitch for a while. We'll see. It doesn't seem to have bothered her much at the plate.

 

[sybarite]

I think the Leslie Miller outing was a message. Gasso was unhappy with the team and decided to make a statement. The way we were swinging, we weren't going to win any game. So, we brought in someone that Patti knew couldn't pitch to Baylor. It went from 4-0 to 8-0 in a hurry.

 

[Plainosooner]

No way. They were still in it at 4-0.

 

[sybarite]

Then, you don't bring in Leslie Miller.

 

[Plainosooner]

You do if Shelby can't pitch with a bad finger and Steven's threw six of her last eight pitches so poorly for whatever reason, that you thought you were watching a junior high pitcher just learning how to throw a rise ball.