NORMAN, Okla. – Playing the defending national champion in front of a sellout crowd of 3,945 at Love's Field on Wednesday night, the Texas A&M University-Commerce softball team fell 9-0 to No. 2/1 ranked Oklahoma Sooners in five innings.
 
The Sooners, winners of the last three Women's College World Series, came into the game being ranked No. 2 in the USA Softball/ESPN.com poll and No. 1 in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll. The No. 2/1 ranking marks the highest ranking of an opponent in any sport in A&M-Commerce's Division I era. The previous high was No. 6 in men's basketball.
 
The loss drops the Lions to 5-17 on the season, while the Sooners are 19-1, having lost just two games in the last two seasons. Wednesday was the first true road game of the season for A&M-Commerce.
 
"I am proud of how we fought on a big stage tonight," said coach Brittany Miller. "Our focus now shifts to conference play and we need to take the lessons we learned over the first part of the season, to come out strong on Friday."
 
The first batter of the game, A&M-Commerce's Tehya Pitts (Denton – Guyer), got on base with a single through the left side and she stole second with two outs in the inning, but the Lions could not bring her home.
 
Rylie Boone drew a walk in the bottom of the first and after back-to-back fly outs, Kinzie Hansen drew a four-pitch walk. Kasidi Pickering doubled to right, which allowed both Boone and Hansen to score. Jayda Coleman was intentionally walked on a 3-1 count and Ella Parker drilled a three-run home run to right, putting the Sooners up 5-0. After a Lion pitching change, a groundout ended the inning.
 
In the bottom of the second, Cydney Sanders doubled down the left field line to lead off the inning and Boone hit a bunt single, to put runners at the corners with no outs. Alyssa Brito drove in Sanders with a sacrifice fly. The Lions escaped the inning by catching Boone stealing second and forcing a ground out.
 
Hansen singled up the middle to lead off the third and was pinch run for by Riley Ludlam. Pickering doubled to left, plating Ludlam. Coleman followed with a single, with Pickering scoring and Coleman advancing to second on a Lion fielding error.
 
Following a Lion pitching change and a fly out, Avery Hodge drove in a run on a double to left center, with Hannah Coor, who pinch ran for Coleman, scoring from second, unearned.
 
Outside the base hit from Pitts in the top of the first, the Lions did not have another base runner until the fifth. Tatum Wright (Frisco – Centennial) hit a two-out single up the middle and Lencia Powell (Birdville) drew a nine-pitch walk, but the Sooners took the win on a nine-pitch strikeout to end the game.
 
The Lions held Oklahoma to nine hits, with Pickering going 2 for 2 with three RBIs. Kierston Deal got the win in the circle for the Sooners, she tossed three innings of shutout ball, allowing one hit and striking out five. Maddie Muller (Frisco – Memorial) got the loss for the Lions, giving up five earned runs in 0.2 innings.
 
Julia Sanchez (The Kinkaid School) tossed two shutout innings for the Lions.
 
UP NEXT
The Lions begin Southland Conference play on Friday with a doubleheader that begins at noon at A&M-Corpus Christi.