After defeating Central Arkansas 14-0 earlier in the day, McNeese returned to Cowgirl Diamond to once again host the defending national champion Oklahoma Sooners. OU got two early runs and a third in the sixth, but it would be enough.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The top-ranked Sooners started the game making good contact off of Lindsey Davis with two hits going to the warning track. A triple from Alyssa Brito set up Riley Ludlum to launch a two-out RBI double to put the Sooners on the board early. Shortly after, Tiare Jennings connected on one to the left-center wall to score Ludlum and make it a 2-0 lead just 17 pitches into the contest.
McNeese settled in nicely after the poor start, keeping Oklahoma off the board and mostly off the base paths.
Offensively, the Cowgirls had multiple situations where they threatened with base runners, but Patty Gasso’s team ended both threats with double plays to keep McNeese off the board.
In the top of the sixth, Cydney Sanders took a fastball for a ride, launching it to center field for a solo home run and extending Oklahoma’s lead to 3-0.
Kelly Maxwell came out to close the game in the seventh and she did just that, giving up just one hit to seal the 3-0 victory for the Sooners.
BIG NUMBER: 61
With the win over McNeese, Oklahoma extended their winning streak to 61 games as the defending national champs are now 8-0 to start the season.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Riley Ludlam
The cleanup hitter for the Sooners was the only player to record multiple base hits for OU, bringing in one of the three runs in the contest.
UP NEXT: McNeese will host Lamar at Cowgirl Diamond on Sunday afternoon to close out the Cowgirl Classic. First pitch is set for 1:30 p.m.