North Texas Daily

Andy Rodriguez / Intern

In an unusual 9-inning exhibition, the nationally ranked No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners defeated the Mean Green10-1 at Lovelace Field last night.

Technically, the score didn’t even count. According to NCAA rules, when a game goes longer than seven innings and is considered a scrimmage, the score is nullified.

But in a short fall season that has only eight games, the team has focused on getting some at-bats under their belts and getting more comfortable on the field.

Junior pitcher Ashley Kirk got the start for the Mean Green after senior Brittany Simmons pitched in both games against Oklahoma last year. It was the first time she had thrown in two weeks.

“I really was just trying to get back into throwing, hitting my spots and making the ball move,” Kirk said. “Tonight I only had about two pitches working for me, and I normally have five.”

After a strong start to the game, a fielding error on a pop fly started a run for the Sooners.

The inning ended with the score 4-0 in favor of the Sooners, but Kirk was still able to finish the night with four strikeouts.

As for the offense, which includes seven freshmen, the team struggled to get runs across the plate but did not struggle to get runners on the bases.

The Mean Green’s best opportunity to score multiple runs came in the bottom of the third inning when a hit-by-pitch led to a bases loaded opportunity for junior infielder Jackie Miller who eventually grounded out to the third baseman.

This OU team is fresh off of a College World Series loss and features senior pitcher Keilani Ricketts, a pitcher who had 14 strikeouts in last year’s meeting with UNT.

“One of our goals offensively was just to have good at-bats, not so much worry about the outcome,” head coach T.J. Hubbard said. “I wanted them to go up there and battle, and I think they did a good job of that tonight.”