Oklahoma 7, Arkansas 2 - Final
Hannah McEwen laced a double to left-center to plate Arkansas' second run of the day. McEwen now has 57 RBI, adding to her single-season record.
The Sooners are one win away from their seventh Women's College World Series appearance in the last eight seasons. Oklahoma powered its way past Arkansas today, using home runs from Jocelyn Alo and Shay Knighten break things open.
Oklahoma got a great start from Paige Lowary, who allowed three hits and one earned run over six innings. She moves to 10-1 on the season with the win. Mary Haff falls to 29-7.
The teams meet again tomorrow at noon.
Oklahoma 7, Arkansas 1 - End 6th Inning
Hedgcock came in to face a nasty part of the Sooners' order and struck out Alo then retired Shay Knighten, both of whom homered today. She allowed a two-out single to left to Pendley but got a flyball to right to end the inning.
Arkansas will send Cooper, Green and Bugarin to the plate in the top of the seventh.
Oklahoma 7, Arkansas 1 - Middle 6th Inning
Lowary struck out the Arkansas side in the sixth.
Caroline Hedgcock is now pitching for Arkansas. Hedgcock has thrown just 14 innings over 10 appearances prior to today.
Oklahoma 7, Arkansas 1 - End 5th Inning
The Razorbacks couldn't turn a pretty routine-looking double play and OU made them pay with another couple of runs to extend its lead.
Later, Oklahoma 9-hole Lea Wodach dropped down a bunt with a runner on third and two outs, and Storms threw the ball away past first. Raegan Rogers scored to make it a 7-1 game. Arkansas has made three errors today, and two came in the fifth, leading to both runs.
Warrick, Belans and Krzysko are due up for Arkansas in the sixth.
Oklahoma 5, Arkansas 1 - Middle 5th Inning
Autumn Buczek got Arkansas on the board with an RBI groundout. Arkansas put two on with no outs after a single and hit by pitch. McEwen flew to center, allowing both runners to advance. Buczek then grounded out, bringing in a run.
Ashley Diaz then grounded out to third to end the inning.
Oklahoma 5, Arkansas 0 - End 4th Inning
Storms shut down the Sooners in the fourth thanks to a nice play from Belans at short. She made another great play back up the middle, but her throw was dropped at first by Ashley Diaz. Storms, though, battled back and induced a groundball to first to end the inning.
Green, Bugarin and McEwen are due up for Arkansas in the fifth against Lowary, who has thrown just 47 pitches through four today and lowered her ERA to 0.92.
Oklahoma 5, Arkansas 0 - Middle 4th Inning
A.J. Belans recorded Arkansas' first extra-base hit in the fourth with a double to left-center, but a groundout to first and a foul out along the third base side ended Arkansas' best scoring opportunity so far.
Storms is back out to pitch for Arkansas. OU fans behind the plate had a great time mocking her grunt after every pitch in the last inning and making fun of her 2.50 ERA.
Oklahoma 5, Arkansas 0 - End 3rd Inning
Jocelyn Alo, Oklahoma's finalist for National Freshman of the Year, hit a Haff pitch a mile to make it 3-0, and Shay Knighten followed with another shot over the bleachers in left. Oklahoma has a 4-0 lead and the crowd is digging it.
Haff's outing appears to be over. Autumn Storms is in to pitch.
Storms came in and retired the first batter she faced with a flyball to center. She sat down the second with a strikeout, then allowed a triple off the wall in left. OU's Aviu then drove in another run with an RBI single to right.
Warrick, Belans and Krzysko due up for Arkansas in the fourth.
Oklahoma 2, Arkansas 0 - Middle 3rd Inning
Another quick inning for Arkansas at the plate. Haydi Bugarin struck out to open the third and McEwen grounded out to second. Buczek did reach first on Oklahoma's second error of the day, but Ashley Diaz later flew out to right.
Mary Haff back to the circle for Arkansas. She threw 31 pitches in the second inning. She could really use a quick bounceback frame.
Oklahoma 2, Arkansas 0 - End 2nd Inning
A couple of singles put runners on the corners with one out, bringing Falepolima Aviu to the plate. Mendes stole second on the first pitch Aviu saw and put two in scoring position.
Aviu hit a ball hard back toward Haff and the ball went off her glove and toward second, where Haydi Bugarin threw out Aviu, but a run scored. Haff then threw a wild pitch and Mendes scored from third to make it 2-0.
Haff allowed another single in the inning, but struck out Sydney Romero again to end the inning. Romero entered super regional play hitting .430 with 12 home runs and 61 driven in.
Arkansas 0, Oklahoma 0 - Middle 2nd Inning
Nothing doing for Arkansas in the second. Krzysko grounded out on the first pitch she saw, Cooper flied to left and Green popped up to Lowary in the circle. There is an OU fan shouting "SEC lover" at someone in the park during Arkansas at-bats.
Nicole Pendley, Caleigh Clifton and Nicole Mendes are due up for OU in the home second.
Arkansas 0, Oklahoma 0 - End 1st Inning
Haff needed just nine pitches to get through 1-3 in Oklahoma's order. She got a strikeout of Sydney Romero to get things started, a pop-up of fellow National Freshman of the Year finalist Jocelyn Alo and a flyout to deep left to end the inning.'
Loren Krzysko, Tori Cooper and Kayla Green are due up for the Razorbacks in the second.
Arkansas 0, Oklahoma 0 - Middle 1st Inning
Hannah McEwen led off the inning by reaching on an error against Lowary. Autumn Buczek went down swinging for the first out of the inning. Ashley Diaz recorded Arkansas' first base hit of the day with a blooper into right-center.
Katie Warrick, Arkansas' cleanup hitter, then went down swinging for the second out of the inning. It appeared she was having a tough time picking up Lowary's offerings. Three late swings. A.J. Belans then grounded out to second to end the top half.
Mary Haff heads to the circle for the Razorbacks looking to pick up win No. 30 on the year.
Pregame
It is hot and humid in Norman. My seat for today's game - and probably the rest of the weekend - is outside and on the third base side of home plate.
Marita Hynes Field is pretty much full. There are bleacher seats beyond the wall down both lines and in both gaps. They're packed. There is also a pretty good size bleacher set up on the far side of each dugout. Again, full.
It should be a fun atmosphere. On my walk into the stadium I saw a good deal of people huddled in the shade tailgating. There's also a solid contingency of Razorbacks fans in attendance. They've already made themselves known before first pitch with a Hog Call or two. I've been informed Hognoxious is here.
Mary Haff will be in the circle for Arkansas today. Paige Lowary (9-1, .97 ERA) gets the starting nod for Oklahoma.