Norman — It sure wasn’t pretty, but Oklahoma was able to hold off a stubborn North Texas squad 6-4 Wednesday night at Marita Hynes Field.
The 12th-ranked Sooners got a grand slam and five runs batted in from catcher Lindsey Vandever, and at times, it looked like they were on their way to a customary route of the visiting Mean Green.
But North Texas kept hitting, and the Sooner pitching had trouble with free passes.
As far as OU coach Patty Gasso was concerned, a win’s a win, but she didn’t like what she saw from her squad.
“I didn’t think that was a very good performance whatsoever,” Gasso said. “I’ll be happy with the win, but that’s about all I’ll be happy with.”
The Sooners (16-3) got started early at the plate. With the bases loaded, Vandever drove a pitch from North Texas starter Ashley Lail into a 20-mph wind and over the left-field wall.
The blast was the fifth grand slam of her career, and it marked back-to-back grand slams. She hit one against Louisville Sunday.
“I was really just trying to get a base hit,” Vandever said. “I was trying to make something happen.”
She also walked a run in with the bases loaded in the fourth inning.
Chana’e Jones drove in the Sooners’ other score.
“Offensively, we went after them early, then we just stopped,” Gasso said. “You cannot take North Texas lightly, because they can swing the bats, and we knew that.”
Sooner starter Michelle Gascoigne went three innings and gave up two hits, the biggest being a solo home run to the Mean Green’s leadoff hitter, Mariza Martinez.
Keilani Ricketts, who got the win and improved to 10-3, came in to relieve Gascoigne and went 22⁄3 innings, walking four, striking out five and allowing one run on one hit.
Kirsten Allen got into a jam in the top of the seventh inning, but pitched her way out to end the game, though she too had problems, walking one, striking out two and giving up two runs on four hits in 11⁄3 innings.
“I thought our pitching staff was below average tonight,” Gasso. “Everyone could have been much better. We’ve been really talking about going from a really good team to a great team, and we took a step back tonight.”
Jeff Johncox 366-3535 jjohncox@normantranscript.com
