Softball: Sooners sweep Kajikawa Classic
Led by the pitching of senior Keilani Ricketts, the No. 2 Oklahoma Softball team was perfect at the Kajikawa Classic in Phoenix last weekend.
The Sooners (5-0) played a sequence of five games over three days to begin the 2013 season — including two games against ranked competition.
The opening game on Friday against No. 21 Stanford displayed why Ricketts was named 2012 USA Softball Player of the Year.
The senior threw a no-hitter, the second of her career. Ricketts struck out 14 batters en route to the OU shutout win. She also hit a home run to help her own cause.
In the second game Friday, sophomore Lauren Chamberlain led the Sooners to a convincing 14-2 victory against Oregon State. Chamberlain drove in six runs including a grand slam.
Game one Saturday featured Ricketts opposite the fifth-ranked Oregon Ducks. In her second start of the season, the All-American tossed yet another no-hit game — a milestone accomplishment. The Sooners needed only five innings in the 12-0 win over the Ducks.
With wins over New Mexico and Northwestern in the final two games of the weekend, Oklahoma remained undefeated.
The Sooners outscored their five opponents by a total of 50-7.
OU relied on senior pitcher Michelle Gascoigne when Ricketts was unavailable. Gascoigne went 2-0 to begin her season.
Other notable performers of the weekend include: senior Jessica Shults, sophomore Shelby Pendley and sophomore Georgia Casey.
The Sooners play next weekend in San Diego for the Campbell/Cartier Classic. Their first game of the classic will be Friday at 5:45 p.m. versus UC Riverside.
The Oklahoma Daily is committed to serving you with accurate coverage. Please submit a correction request if you find an error, and an editor will review the mistake.
Join the conversation
The Oklahoma Daily is pleased to provide you the opportunity to share your thoughts and views about the issues of the day. By joining the conversation, you agree to the terms and conditions listed in our comment policy. Log in to your Facebook account to leave a comment.
Read the OUDaily.com Comment Policy to learn more about our guidelines