Oklahoma’s Jordy Bahl and Kinzie Hansen have teamed up plenty to shut down opposing teams.
Wednesday night in the first game of the Women’s College World Series Championship Series, Bahl and Hansen also did their damage on the offensive end.
The duo got things going for the Sooners and Bahl was once again excellent in the circle as OU knocked off Florida State, 5-0, at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium.
The Sooners (60-1) need one more win — in two possible chances — to win their third consecutive national championship (seventh overall) and crank up the debate on their place in college softball history.
Game 2 of the best-of-three series is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday.
Oklahoma has not lost back-to-back games since February 2020.
The Sooners’ NCAA record winning streak moved to 52.
Bahl and Florida State’s Mack Leonard — who had thrown just 37 1/3 innings heading into Game One — were locked in a pitchers’ duel heading into the bottom of the fourth before Leonard hit Haley Lee to start the Sooners’ half of the inning.
Lee was initially called back to the box after jogging toward first, but replay confirmed Leonard’s pitch had grazed Lee’s leg.
That’s when Gasso decided to go with Bahl to pinch run and Seminoles’ coach Lonni Alameda went with Makenna Rein instead of star pitcher Kathryn Sandercock out of the bullpen.
Then Hansen made Alameda and the Seminoles pay.
The Sooners’ catcher belted a double to right-center and Bahl, who Sooners coach Patty Gasso has called the best baserunner on the team, came all the way around to score for the game’s first run.
Then things kept rolling for OU’s offense.
Alyssa Brito drove home Hansen with a single to right-center, then with two outs, Alynah Torres tapped one just in front of the plate and beat it out for an infield single, with Brito coming home to score after the throw to first bounced away from Seminoles’ first baseman Bethaney Keen.
Those three runs were more than enough for Bahl (22-1), who has picked up the win in each of the Sooners’ four WCWS wins.
Bahl allowed just two hits, striking out 10 with one walk and a hit-by-pitch.
Bahl has yet to allow a run in 21 2/3 innings during the WCWS.
The first hit she allowed came to lead off the second, and that threat was quickly erased with a strikeout and a double-play ball.
Bahl got herself into a jam in the fourth, when her error put the leadoff hitter aboard and then she hit Michaela Edenfield with one out to give the Seminoles the chance to break through on OU’s sophomore ace.
But then Bahl shut the door, getting Devyn Flaherty to ground out before striking out Leonard to end the threat and set up the heroics in the bottom half.
Kalei Harding ripped one to the wall in center with two outs in the sixth but Sooners’ center fielder Jayda Coleman played the bounce off the wall perfectly and cut down Harding at second with plenty of time to spare.
Hansen drove in another run with a two-out single to left to score another insurance run in the fifth.
Jennings drove in a run in the sixth to break her tie with former teammate Jocelyn Alo for most career WCWS RBIs. Jennings has now driven in 29 runs in three WCWS appearances.
In addition to Hansen, Brito and Boone also had two hits.
