OU's Jordy Bahl has her first WCWS moment in Sooners win
OKLAHOMA CITY – The real Jordy Bahl was finally allowed to be showcased for OU at the Women’s College World Series.
What she brought was an incredibly dominant performance in helping the Sooners to a 2-0 victory against Stanford on Thursday afternoon at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium.
The win puts OU at 57-1 overall, with a 49-game winning streak. The Sooners will take on Tennessee at 2 p.m. Saturday on ABC in a winner’s bracket matchup.
This was expected to be Bahl’s stage in 2022, but an arm injury relegated Bahl to more spectator than producer. And when she was in last June, well, she wasn’t anywhere close to 100 percent. Not even 50 percent.
Head coach Patty Gasso was never concerned entering the season about Bahl’s health, and Bahl has been as good as advertised this season. When OU has needed clutch pitching outings in recent weeks, it’s been Bahl who has delivered time and time again.
Said Gasso: “Thankfully, Jordy was absolutely on her game. She was just a boss today. It was really fun to watch that, especially not getting the opportunity she wanted last year and just making the most of it from day one.”
Bahl (19-1) had to be because her counterpart was bringing the goods, too. Stanford freshman NiJaree Canady had OU flustered for the better part of five innings before the Sooners were able to score two. Jayda Coleman had an RBI single combined with an error that allowed Rylie Boone to score all the way from first.
With a lead? Bahl was even better. She closed the show in style, striking out the side in the seventh. This is what Bahl wanted to show softball fans at the WCWS. It’s just the start of what OU could need from her the rest of the way.
“Going into today, I think, if I learned anything from my injury, it was you just really can’t take anything for granted,” Bahl said. “So just trying to be as present as possible was huge. At the same time, just trying to treat it like another big game you’re getting ready for.”
Bahl went all seven innings. She allowed five hits with one walk and 11 strikeouts. The 107 pitches thrown is the most by Bahl this season.
OU only had one hit in the first four innings. Canady had retired nine in a row before Alynah Torres had a one-out single in the bottom of the fifth. Boone added her single to set the table for Coleman with two outs.
Coleman hit a solid single to left that would have scored pinch-runner Avery Hodge, no problem. But a fielding error allowed Boone to score easily as well.
Up next for OU
A very interesting matchup between the Vols and Sooners. Tennessee is just one of two teams in the WCWS that OU has not played or defeated this season. The Vols looked impressive in whipping Alabama 10-5 in the first game of the day. Tennessee (50-8) enters on a 10-game winning streak. Both teams are playing as well as anybody in the country in postseason.
