MORNING ROUNDUP
College softball’s most prolific offense was one out away from being shut out on Sunday.
But Tiare Jennings hit a three-run, walkoff homer to give top-ranked Oklahoma a 3-1 victory over Baylor before a sellout crowd at Marita Hynes Field in Norman. Jennings’ homer came on a 3-1 count, sending fans into a frezny and handing Baylor pitcher Dariana Orme, who had been outstanding all game, the loss.
OU (29-0 overall, 3-0 Big 12) almost suffered its first defeat two batters earlier. With two out, pinch-hitter Kinzie Hansen lofted a foul ball to left field that was catchable. But the Bears’ Taylor Strain overran the ball, giving the Sooners extended life.
Hansen ended up with a single, which was followed by a Mackenzie Donihoo’s single. Jennings then launched the homer. Up until Hansen’s hit, Jennings had the Sooners’ only hit, a single in the first inning.
Orme, who fell to 6-8, walked four and struck out five and kept OU’s highscoring lineup in check until the seventh. The Sooners did have a scoring chance a few innings earlier, but Orme ended the threat by striking out NCAA career home run leader Jocelyn Alo with the bases loaded. Jennings’ dramatics overshadowed an excellent day from OU pitcher Hope Trautwein. She had a no-hitter until the sixth inning, when Baylor’s McKenzie Wilson singled and scored a couple batters later on Kaci West’s sacrifice fly. Trautwien improved to 8-0 after allowing the one hit, three walks and striking out 13. OU has won 62 consecutive Big 12 games.
OBITUARY: Florida Atlantic softball coach Joan Joyce, the only coach in the program’s 28-year history whose numerous claims to fame included once striking out Ted Williams, has died, the school announced Sunday.
Joyce died Saturday, the school said, without disclosing the cause. She was 81.
Joyce was inducted into the International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1989. She spent 19 years as a member of the LPGA Tour — needing only 17 putts to get through a round in 1982 — and also served as FAU’s women’s golf coach from 1996 through 2014.
But the thing she was unquestionably asked most about in her life was the
1961 exhibition in Waterbury, Connecticut, in which she struck out Williams, the last player in baseball to bat .400 in a season.
OSU finishes sweep of Kansas in baseball
David Mendham had a home run, and four teammates had two hits Sunday as Oklahoma State whipped Kansas 7-2 before 5,691 fans at O’Brate Stadium in Stillwater.
OSU (18-6) swept the three-game Big 12 series, coming back from a brief 1-0 deficit on Sunday in the fourth inning. The Cowboys scored all of their runs over the middle-three innings, which
gave starting pitcher Bryce Osmond enough to earn his first win of the season. Osmond allowed both Kansas (814) runs on eight hits. But he walked just one and struck out seven. The Cowboys have won 11 consecutive games. Late Saturday, the Cowboys clinched their first conference series of the season with a 4-3 victory over Kansas before an O’Brate Stadium-record 6,550 fans. OSU won despite just five hits, two by Zach Ehrhard. Cowboy pitchers Victor Mederos, Roman Phansalkar and Trevor Martin combined for 13 strikeouts.