Photo Gallery vs. Oklahoma

NORMAN, Okla. – Shay Knighten and Nicole Pendley each went 3-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs to lead No. 6-ranked Oklahoma to a 10-2 win over North Dakota State in an NCAA Norman Regional elimination game played Sunday, May 21, at Marita Hynes Field.  
 
North Dakota State finishes the season with a 29-33 record. Oklahoma (52-9) was scheduled to play Tulsa (41-15) this afternoon in the championship round.
 
Oklahoma raced out of the gate to start the game to take a 4-0 lead. Nicole Mendes had an infield hit to second, Caleigh Clifton reached on a bunt single and then Shay Knighten hammered a three-run home run to left field. It was Knighten's 10th homer of the season and Oklahoma's first of the regional. Paige Parker closed out the scoring with two-out RBI single down the right field line.
 
OU extended the lead to 5-0 in the third when Nicole Pendley rifled a run-scoring single down the right field line, and added a run on Romero's sacrifice fly to deep left center to make it 6-0 in the fourth.
 
The Sooners put the game out of reach at 10-0 with four runs in the top of the sixth on a Pendley three-run home run to right field.
 
North Dakota State averted the shutout when Vanessa Anderson blasted a two-run home run well over the fence in left field. It was Anderson's second homer of the regional and team-leading 14th of the season.
 
Oklahoma freshman pitcher Mariah Lopez, who didn't make it out of the first inning against Arkansas on Saturday settled in against North Dakota State. Lopez (17-1) allowed seven hits, struck out six and walked one. Paige Lowary worked the final 2/3-innings.
 
NDSU had chance to score earlier in the game, in the bottom of the third when Tabby Heinz walked and Dani Renner singled. Zoe Stavrou lined a base hit that was almost caught in left center. Left fielder Macey Hatfield threw to third baseman Sydney Romero, who wheeled to catcher Lea Wodach.
 
Jacquelyn Sertic (19-24) left the game in the top of the third inning and was replaced by KK Leddy. The pair combined to strike out four and walk two.
 
Stephanie Soriano had two hits for the Bison, while Montana DeCamp added a double.