The marquee game of the Mary Nutter Classic, featuring No. 1 and undefeated UCLA against No. 2 and once-defeated Oklahoma, figured to be a tight, back-and-forth battle, or so I thought. The Sooners laid waste to that forecast, routing the Bruins 14-0 in run-rule fashion. With Michigan transfer Alex Storako pitching five innings of shutout ball for OU (5 K, 3 hits, 0 BB), the Sooners began their offensive onslaught scoring 6 in the second inning, 2 each in the third and fourth, and 4 in the fifth. Perhaps the most amazing stat of the day was that OU amassed 20 hits in just five innings! UCLA starter Megan Faraimo was driven from the game after just 1 2/3 innings, having allowed 7 hits and 4 runs.
The college softball world has thrown us a "Curve Bahl," if you will. Such is the unexpected news that Oklahoma ace Jordy Bahl has announced that she will transfer to the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Bahl is from the Omaha suburb of Papillion, Nebraska. Three thoughts jump out at me: Bahl was absolutely indispensable to the Sooners' 61-1 national championship season, coming up with numerous clutch strikeouts in tight tournament games against Clemson (super-regionals, Game 2 ) and Stanford ( WCWS semifinals ). OU benefited greatly this season via the transfer portal, bringing in Haley Lee from Texas A&M, Alex Storako from Michigan, and Cydney Sanders and Alynah Torres from Arizona State. Bahl's transfer is the first major one in the modern portal era (to my knowledge) in the other direction. Nebraska becomes an instant national championship contender, in my mind. Other players around the country may find it attractive to join Bahl in Lincoln but even if