Game 1 of the two-out-of-three championship series is underway. OU's Keilani Ricketts has struck out the side in top of the first... Ellen Renfroe is starting in the circle for Tennessee. Ellen pitched the final 2 1/3 innings yesterday in the Vols' win over Texas, taking over for her sister Ivy...
We get the first hit of the game in the bottom of the third, but still no runs. The Sooners' Lauren Chamberlain doubles to the wall in left field with a runner on first and two outs, and OU coach Patty Gasso gives the runner the stop sign. It definitely would have been a close play at the plate...
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. That may be what Tennessee is thinking. Ricketts, a power-hitter, bunts for a base hit in the bottom of the fourth. Then she steals second! OU threatening again with runners on first and second and two outs...Tennessee snares a hard liner to third, ending the threat...
Vols draw walk to lead off top of fifth, ending Ricketts's perfect game... Runner picked-off at first... Ricketts walks next two batters, as well. Runners on first and second... OU turns two on grounder to Ricketts, ending Tennessee half of inning...
Hannah Akamine singles for Tennessee to lead off top of sixth, breaking up Ricketts's no-hitter...No scoring for the Vols, though...
Still scoreless as Tennessee comes up in the top of the seventh... Vols done, Sooners coming up with a chance for a walk-off win... Going to extras!
Tennessee gets lead-off hitter on base in top of eighth, as OU shortstop bobbles grounder. Bunted over to second... Next batter walks... After falling behind 3-1 on next batter, Ricketts rebounds to get strikeout... Soft liner to short ends half-inning for the Vols... Good defense across the Tennessee infield retires OU...
Vols go quietly in top of ninth...Lead-off single to left for Sooners in bottom of ninth... Runner bunted to second and throw to first not handled, so OU has first and second with no outs, Ricketts up... Keilani K'd, one out... Wild pitch, runners to second and third... Intentional walk to load bases... Jessica Shults up... First two pitches outside and in the dirt, putting Vols in danger of walking in winning run... Force at home, bases still loaded, two outs... Strikeout to end ninth...
Lead-off batter walks for Vols to open 10th inning...Runner forced out at second on infield grounder; bobble prevents possible double-play for Oklahoma... Tennessee steals second... Grounder to pitcher produces second out, but Vols runner advances to third... OU issues intentional walk to put runners on first and third... Tory Lewis, with two strikeouts already on the evening, comes to bat... Make it three strikeouts, as Tennessee retired... Brianna Turang singles up middle with one out for OU, Chamberlain up... Fly out to shallow left, Turang can't tag up... But she steals second, anyway... Vols can't catch foul pop; will it come back to haunt them... No. Inning ends on infield pop-up...
With one out for Tennessee in 11th, OU can't field a high-bouncer near home, putting a runner on first... Lauren Gibson hits hard shot to center, which Destinee Martinez can't quite catch. Runners on first and second... Three-run homer by Madison Shipman for Tennessee! Sooners come up needing runs... With one out, a dropped pop-up in shallow right puts Ricketts on second... Brittany Williams doubles to right-center-field gap, Ricketts scores, making it 3-1... Ground out to first, runner advances to third, two outs now... Martinez triples over center-fielder's head, making it 3-2... Callie Parsons hits ball to left-center gap, tying game. However, Parsons out trying to stretch double to triple, ending inning...
Vol 12th uneventful... OU coming up... Turang leads off with a bouncer down third-base line that turns into a double... Chamberlain hits game-winning homer over left-field foul pole! 5-3 Sooners.
We get the first hit of the game in the bottom of the third, but still no runs. The Sooners' Lauren Chamberlain doubles to the wall in left field with a runner on first and two outs, and OU coach Patty Gasso gives the runner the stop sign. It definitely would have been a close play at the plate...
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. That may be what Tennessee is thinking. Ricketts, a power-hitter, bunts for a base hit in the bottom of the fourth. Then she steals second! OU threatening again with runners on first and second and two outs...Tennessee snares a hard liner to third, ending the threat...
Vols draw walk to lead off top of fifth, ending Ricketts's perfect game... Runner picked-off at first... Ricketts walks next two batters, as well. Runners on first and second... OU turns two on grounder to Ricketts, ending Tennessee half of inning...
Hannah Akamine singles for Tennessee to lead off top of sixth, breaking up Ricketts's no-hitter...No scoring for the Vols, though...
Still scoreless as Tennessee comes up in the top of the seventh... Vols done, Sooners coming up with a chance for a walk-off win... Going to extras!
Tennessee gets lead-off hitter on base in top of eighth, as OU shortstop bobbles grounder. Bunted over to second... Next batter walks... After falling behind 3-1 on next batter, Ricketts rebounds to get strikeout... Soft liner to short ends half-inning for the Vols... Good defense across the Tennessee infield retires OU...
Vols go quietly in top of ninth...Lead-off single to left for Sooners in bottom of ninth... Runner bunted to second and throw to first not handled, so OU has first and second with no outs, Ricketts up... Keilani K'd, one out... Wild pitch, runners to second and third... Intentional walk to load bases... Jessica Shults up... First two pitches outside and in the dirt, putting Vols in danger of walking in winning run... Force at home, bases still loaded, two outs... Strikeout to end ninth...
Lead-off batter walks for Vols to open 10th inning...Runner forced out at second on infield grounder; bobble prevents possible double-play for Oklahoma... Tennessee steals second... Grounder to pitcher produces second out, but Vols runner advances to third... OU issues intentional walk to put runners on first and third... Tory Lewis, with two strikeouts already on the evening, comes to bat... Make it three strikeouts, as Tennessee retired... Brianna Turang singles up middle with one out for OU, Chamberlain up... Fly out to shallow left, Turang can't tag up... But she steals second, anyway... Vols can't catch foul pop; will it come back to haunt them... No. Inning ends on infield pop-up...
With one out for Tennessee in 11th, OU can't field a high-bouncer near home, putting a runner on first... Lauren Gibson hits hard shot to center, which Destinee Martinez can't quite catch. Runners on first and second... Three-run homer by Madison Shipman for Tennessee! Sooners come up needing runs... With one out, a dropped pop-up in shallow right puts Ricketts on second... Brittany Williams doubles to right-center-field gap, Ricketts scores, making it 3-1... Ground out to first, runner advances to third, two outs now... Martinez triples over center-fielder's head, making it 3-2... Callie Parsons hits ball to left-center gap, tying game. However, Parsons out trying to stretch double to triple, ending inning...
Vol 12th uneventful... OU coming up... Turang leads off with a bouncer down third-base line that turns into a double... Chamberlain hits game-winning homer over left-field foul pole! 5-3 Sooners.