Tiare Jennings, Jana Johns hit slams, Jordy Bahl returns as Oklahoma routs Northwestern in WCWS opener

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — Defending national champion Oklahoma got off to a slow start against Northwestern on Thursday as it began its hopeful march toward another championship.

Down 1-0 entering the bottom of the third, the Sooners' bats got hot and didn't let up, rolling to a 13-2 run-rule win in the fifth, scoring six runs in the bottom of the third and seven more in the fourth, fueled by grand slams from Tiare Jennings and Jana Johns.

But for Sooners coach Patty Gasso, the biggest victory was the return from injury of her star freshman pitcher, Jordy Bahl, who came in for starter Hope Trautwein to record the last out of the game, throwing 11 pitches, facing three batters and recording one out.

«She's made differently in and people see that,» Gasso said. «You like her enthusiasm, you like the way she rips her mask off when she gets what she wants. To see her doing what she's doing, today, is the biggest victory that we've had thus far in the season.»

The appearance wasn't the sharpest for Bahl, who last pitched on May 6 after suffering what OU said was soreness in her pitching arm. The former No. 1 overall recruit came into the Women's College World Series with a 0.95 ERA, striking out 199 in 132 innings pitched.

With the Sooners' next game coming up against Texas on Saturday, one of just two teams to beat the Sooners this season en route to their 55-2 record, Gasso said she wanted to get Bahl back in some game action.

«I really wanted her to feel this atmosphere especially going into Saturday,» Gasso said. «It's really thinking ahead and strategizing with a young lady who has been dying to get on this mound and struggling through it. To give her that opportunity was gold, and our team responded to it.»

The Sooners were