NORMAN, Okla. — Cleveland State showed more fight than probably anyone expected. Unfortunately, mighty Oklahoma was just too much to overcome.
The Vikings fell to the Sooners 9-0 Friday in both teams' opening game of the NCAA Division I Softball Tournament. The matchup lasted only six of a possible seven innings, as Tiare Jennings' two-run homer allowed the "mercy rule" to be put into effect.
Facing the three-time defending national champions, CSU (22-25) managed to hang around and make things interesting for a bit, trailing just 1-0 heading into the fourth. A solo home run by Kasidi Pickering put OU on the board first, but Vikings ace Melissa Holzopfel struck out Alyssa Brito with the bases loaded in the third to keep things close.
However, things became unraveled starting with that fourth frame, with three straight Oklahoma hits pushing the score to 4-0. Pickering's second homer made it a five-run lead in the fifth, and a two-run single by Ella Parker seemingly put things out of reach before Jennings ended it with a blast to right.
The Vikings struggled at the plate, scratching out just three hits (two by Holzopfel) with none going for extra bases. The Sooners' Nicole May and Karlie Keeney also combined for nine strikeouts in the circle.
Cleveland State now faces an elimination game Saturday against Boston University, which lost to Oregon 8-0 on Friday. CSU remains winless in its NCAA Tournament history.
The regional brackets, played at the sites of the top 16 overall seeds (No. 2 Oklahoma, in this case), are conducted under a double-elimination format. First pitch for tomorrow's win-or-go-home showdown is set for 5:30 p.m.