• The Cowgirls come to town just when OUneeds a win the most

When the Oklahoma softball team traveled to Stillwater April 5 for the first Bedlam game of the season, it was in a tough spot.

The Sooners had just been swept at Nebraska and had started the Big 12 season 1-5. The hitters were frustrated they weren’t scoring enough runs. The pitchers were frustrated they couldn’t hit their spots. And coach Patty Gasso was frustrated because nothing seemed to be coming together for her team.

Then came the trip to Stillwater. If any game showcased the Sooners’ capabilities, that first Bedlam game was it. OU simply dominated the Cowgirls, winning 15-2 in five innings.

OU put together 15 hits, capped by Susan Ogden’s first home run of the season, and starting pitcher D.J. Mathis allowed only one run in four innings.

Defensively, the Sooners were perfect.

“It was kind of like a crossroads for our season,” Gasso said. “It was before we were going to be going into one of the toughest stretches of our year. I was just really pleased all the way around. We played an exceptional game offensively, defensively and on the mound. We went out there on a mission to try to get things back on track. When things work like that and everything is in order, we’re very tough to beat. But it’s hard to get everything clicking.”

Nothing has clicked for the Sooners as well as it did that night.

They picked up a victory at Texas A&M and Baylor, but Cat Osterman and Texas came into Norman and swept OU. Things got worse last weekend when Iowa State took one of two from the Sooners in Ames.

Worst news of all, the loss to the Cyclones assured No. 21 OU (29-18-1, 5-10 Big 12) of its first losing record in conference play.

So, it may be the perfect time to have the Cowgirls (19-24, 5-10) come to town. The Sooners seemed to respond to the Bedlam atmosphere last time around, and no one needs a victory more right now.

The Sooners’ postseason aspirations heavily depend on how they finish off the last two weeks of the regular season. They may even need to win a few games in the Big 12 Tournament in order to gain an invite to an NCAA regional.

“We’re hanging in the Top 25 and it’s really out of respect for the history of this program,” Gasso said. “What we do the rest of the way has a lot to do with what happens to us in May.

“We’ve played a really tough schedule, that may help us. But anything positive we can do in the end of the season, they’ll definitely take a closer look at.”