No. 9 OU beats Cal State Northridge, 5-1.
Feb. 15, 2008
Box Score
LAS VEGAS - Senior pitcher Lauren Eckermann tossed a two-hitter as the No. 9 OU softball team beat Cal State Northridge Friday night, 5-1, in the UNLV Louisville Slugger Desert Classic.
The Sooners moved to 6-2 on the year and improved to a perfect 2-0 in the tournament. Cal State Northridge fell to 1-5 overall. Oklahoma returns to tournament action on Saturday as it takes on South Carolina at 11 a.m. (CST) followed by a 1:15 p.m. contest against Illinois.
Eckermann improved her record to 2-2 as she only allowed one run on two hits while striking out a season-high 11 batters in the complete game. She was solid in the final three innings as she retired nine of the 10 batters she faced, including striking out the side to end the game in the seventh.
Offensively, Oklahoma tallied six hits, including two home runs by sophomore Amber Flores and freshman Wendy Trott. Flores was the lone Sooner to record multiple hits as she went 2-for-3 while Trott led the squad in RBI with three.
Traci Dickenson got the offense going in the bottom of the first with her RBI double off the top of the right centerfield wall that scored Samantha Ricketts, who led off the frame with a walk. Trott continued the offensive momentum as she followed with a two-run homer over right field, marking her first home run in her young OU career. The Sooners led 3-0 after two frames.
Flores sparked a Sooner rally in the third as she ripped a two-out solo home run just inside the left field foul pole. It marked the sophomore’s team-leading third homer of the year. Ricketts followed that with a single up the middle and Susan Ogden walked. Another walk by Dickenson loaded the bases as Trott stepped up to the plate with two outs. The freshman earned another RBI as she walked with the bases full and OU led 5-0.
The Matadors responded in the top of the fourth as Micah Putnam led off with a walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Amanda Peek followed that with an RBI single up the middle as she advanced to second on the throw home and Northridge cut the lead to 5-1. CSNU’s next batter walked as the Matadors had runners at first and second with no outs. However, Eckermann retired the next three batters, including two strikeouts, to end the frame.
Source: Eckermann Throws Two-Hitter in Win
