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Jay C. Upchurch
5/20/2007, 04:16 PM
Softball Headed to Super Regional with 6-3 Victory
No. 1 Sooners set to host No. 12 DePaul in Norman for Super Regional

AMHERST, Mass. — The No. 1 Oklahoma softball team (55-6) advanced to an NCAA Super Regional after beating UMass (39-14-1) , 6-3, in the regional final Sunday afternoon at the UMass Softball Complex. The contest was delayed an hour and 30 minutes due to rain, but the sun came out once the game started and the Sooners advanced to their second Super Regional in the last three years.

Oklahoma, a No. 3 national seed, will now head back to Norman to host DePaul, a No. 14 national seed, this weekend. The dates and times are still being determined at this time. The Blue Demons (44-11) beat Mississippi Valley and Missouri (twice) to advance to the Super Regional. OU and DePaul met up earlier this season in the semifinals of the Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, Calif., as the Sooners won, 3-2, in eight innings.

Junior Lauren Eckermann pushed her record to 37-3 after throwing her third straight complete game in the regional. Eckermann only gave up one earned run and scattered five hits while striking out five and only allowing one walk in the final.

The juco transfer only gave up two earned runs in the three games while recording a 0.67 ERA. Eckermann struck out 19 in 21 complete innings while only walking one in the entire regional.

In Sunday’s action, Jamie Fox and Lindsey Vandever led the offense with 2-for-3 outings and an RBI a piece while Samantha Ricketts and Amber Flores added the other RBI in the contest. Fox and Ricketts led the Sooners over the weekend as each recorded a .429 average in the three games and Ricketts recorded a team-best four RBI.

The Sooners missed opportunities in the first and second after stranding three runners, but Oklahoma swung momentum its way in the third as OU recorded four hits and four runs in the top of the frame to take the initial lead. Norrelle Dickson led off with her first hit of the regional, an infield single. Following a Dickson steal, Mariee Mena followed with a single as OU had runners at the corners.

Next, OU scored its first run of the game as Dickson scored on Flores’ fielder’s choice, beating the tag at home. The Sooner offense took off from there as Ricketts followed that with an RBI single and Jamie Fox’s squeeze bunt scored OU’s third run of the game. Lindsey Vandever’s sac RBI to left field scored the fourth run of the inning as OU held the 4-0 lead heading into the bottom of the third.

However, the Minutewomen swung the momentum right back their way as Samantha Salato led off the bottom of the third and reached first after an error by OU third baseman Dickson. An out later, nine-hole hitter Whitney Williams ripped an RBI double off the right field wall to place runners at the corners. Returning to the top of the lineup, Amanda Morin pounded a two RBI single to close the gap, 4-2. Following a sacrifice bunt, Stacy Cullington roped an RBI double to right field to score UMass’s third run. The next batter flew out to centerfielder Jamie Fox deep on the warning track to end the frame.

Oklahoma took advantage of two UMass errors in the fifth as Flores led off and reached first on an error by the shortstop. Flores moved over to second on Susan Ogden’s ground out and Fox followed that with a two-out walk. Next, Vandever’s hard hit to the third baseman caused an error as the ball bounced back behind the shortstop and Flores scored all the way from second to push the OU lead to 5-3.

UMass switched out pitchers to start the top of the sixth as Bailey Sanders replaced Balschmiter. Dickson walked with one out to give OU a base runner and advanced to second on Mariee Mena’s ground out. Flores’ hard-hit ball to the UMass shortstop caused another UMass error as Dickson scored all the way from second as OU took the 6-3 advantage heading into the sixth.

Eckermann was perfect in the next two innings as she retired all six batters to end the game and advance OU to a Super Regional.

Dates and times of OU’s Super Regional should be released on Monday. It will mark the first time Oklahoma has hosted a Super Regional since the new format began three years ago.

OU SID Report

MamaMia
5/20/2007, 05:12 PM
Thanks for the report. I have been searching high and low for a broadcast and some information and I'm not having much luck. Is there a link to the games anywhere? :confused:

trwxxa
5/20/2007, 07:17 PM
I found a game tracker here

http://www.big12sports.com/sports/w-softbl/sched/big12-w-softbl-sched.html

It looks like some of the super regional games will be on either ESPN or ESPNU. No schedule yet.

MamaMia
5/20/2007, 09:18 PM
I found a game tracker here

http://www.big12sports.com/sports/w-softbl/sched/big12-w-softbl-sched.html

It looks like some of the super regional games will be on either ESPN or ESPNU. No schedule yet.
Thanks. :)