Jeff Johncox
• Junior-college transfer has to come in and save own victory
Lauren Eckermann got to play a dual role in Oklahoma’s 5-3 victory over Tulsa Tuesday night at Marita Hynes Field.
The junior-college transfer pitched five innings and was in line to grab an easy victory when the Sooner bullpen allowed the Golden Hurricane back in the game.
So, OU coach Patty Gasso got Eckermann back in the game, and if softball rules allowed for it, the new Sooner ace would have picked up the win and the save.
“I just went and warmed up again, threw a few pitches,” Eckermann said. “In that situation, you can’t overthink things and let the nerves get the best of you. You just want to go out there and execute, do what you’re supposed to do.”
Eckermann was humming along, blowing through the Tulsa lineup. She allowed three hits and struck out four in five innings before Gasso brought in D.J. Mathis in the top of the sixth inning to close things out with a 5-0 lead.
After coasting through the sixth, Mathis ran into trouble.
Ashlee Lubniewski pinch-hit for Westmoore grad Christian Timmons and got the Golden Hurricane on the board with a solo home run to left field to lead off the seventh.
Lauren Lindsay then made it a 5-2 game with an RBI-single with one out.
Jadyn Smith replaced Mathis, but didn’t fare much better.
Sara Dyer hit a run-scoring single through the left side of the infield to make it a 5-3 game.
Gasso had seen enough, and brought Eckermann back in, who got Kelli McGlasson to hit into a game-ending double play.
“Lauren threw really well, but I thought it almost looked like she was tiring a bit,” Gasso said. “I wanted to get D.J. a chance to get out there a little bit and get some things done. Unfortunately, her and Jadyn got hit and had some issues.
“We want to see our pitchers come out of the bullpen like bulldogs. We want them fired up and ready to go, and they weren’t (Tuesday). They were getting 3-0 and 3-1 counts and that’s not going to make you successful as a pitcher.”
Offensively, the Sooners just couldn’t put the game away, despite having several opportunities early to do so.
OU left the bases loaded twice.
“We just weren’t getting the timely hitting that we needed,” Gasso said. “I think we were a little overanxious, and their center fielder made some really outstanding plays. I thought we hit the ball hard all day and had our chances to expand the lead, but we just didn’t get the hits when we needed them.”
The Sooners are on the road this weekend for the Palm Springs Tournament in Palm Springs, Calif. They return to Marita Hynes Field Feb. 28 when they host a double-header with Arkansas and 3 and 5 p.m.
