In a game where the Oklahoma bats struggled to find a rhythm, Paige Parker didn't let her team down.
The junior struck out 14 batters in the Sooners 4-0 win against No. 7 Auburn in Game 1 of the Auburn Super Regional at Jane B. Moore Field on Friday. Parker threw a complete game, allowing only four hits. The performance earned Parker a Super Regional program record for strikeouts in a game.
"This is one of the best games she's thrown all season," coach Patty Gasso said. "She thrives in these settings, and what I really loved is throughout our entire lineup, for the most part, is everybody contributing some kind of offense."
Thanks to Parker, the Tigers, who have averaged nearly eight runs per game since the SEC Tournament, were unable to take advantage of OU's sluggish start at the plate. The No. 10 Sooners were held scoreless through five innings for only the third time this season in winning performances.
OU needed a spark on offense, and it got just that from Nicole Pendley.
Facing two outs, the junior recorded a one-run ground-rule double over the left-field fence in the sixth inning, giving the Sooners (55-9) the mometum for good. Macey Hatfield followed that up with an RBI single to shortstop to score Falepolima Aviu, extending the lead to 2-0.
In the seventh, a single from Nicole Mendes and a double from Caleigh Clifton set up Shay Knighten, who brought home Mendes with a single to give OU a three-run advantage. Moments later, Knighten scored the fourth and final run off a single to right field from Sydney Romero.
The Sooners recorded six of their 10 hits in the final two innings. Mendes and Knighten led the team with two hits apiece.
"We made a few mistakes, but what I love about these guys is they stayed in the moment the whole game, and found a way to get it done," Gasso said.
OU will be the home team in Game 2, which is scheduled for noon on Saturday. A win secures Gasso's 11th appearance in Women's College World Series in her 23 years at the helm.