Oklahoma softball gets mercy-rule win to open Norman Regional
By David Wasson
Published:
The third-ranked Oklahoma softball team began the NCAA Tournament with a bang, blanking Binghamton 11-0 in a five-inning, run-rule victory at the Norman Regional on Friday night.
Oklahoma (49-8) will face Kansas on Saturday (3 pm ET, ESPN+) – with the winner advancing to Sunday’s championship series. Binghamton fell into the loser’s bracket and takes on Michigan on Saturday (5:30 pm ET, ESPN+). The Sooners have won eight consecutive regional openers, all by run rule – and Oklahoma run-ruled an opponent for the 33rd time this season.
The Sooners scored every time they went to the plate Friday, including a four-run first that set an immediate tone. Kai Minor opened with a double, Ella Parker walked and Gabbie Garcia scored Minor with a single up the middle. Isabela Emerling lined a sacrifice fly to left and Kasidi Pickering capped the first with a 252-foot homer to left center.
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Minor and Parker homered in consecutive at-bats in the second, and Kendall Wells capped Oklahoma’s scoring with a 289-foot homer off the base of the center-field scoreboard in the fifth.
Audrey Lowry, Berkeley Zache (1-0) and Allyssa Parker combined for the two-hit shutout in the circle for Oklahoma. Olivia Kennedy (8-9) absorbed the loss for Binghamton (20-26).
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
