The562’s coverage of Long Beach State athletics for the 2024-25 season is sponsored by Marilyn Bohl.
Sunday’s home opener for Long Beach State Softball began with a show of respect for the head coach in the opposing dugout. LBSU softball alum Patty Gasso threw out the ceremonial first pitch in her return to her alma mater, before leading the four-time defending national champions from Oklahoma.
The No. 2-ranked Sooners (6-0) were finishing their season-opening West Coast swing on Sunday afternoon, and got pushed to the limit by a focused, upset-minded Long Beach State squad. The Beach (3-1) were on the verge of one of the best wins in program history as the game remained scoreless through 10 innings, but the Sooners eventually broke through for a pair of runs in the 11th, escaping Long Beach with a 2-0 win in front of a sellout crowd.
“It was a special opening day for us,” said LBSU head coach Kim Sowder. “It’s great to be able to bring Patty back and honor her. And we’re just super grateful that they came out here and did the California swing. You couldn’t ask for a better game and a better crowd, and it was a great experience for our team.”
Fresh off a combined no-hitter against Fresno State the day before, Long Beach State got another strong performance from its pitching staff to hold down one of the best offenses in the sport. The Sooners had scored 7 or more runs in all five of their wins entering Sunday’s matchup, averaging 9.6 runs per game.
Despite loading the bases twice in the first three innings, Oklahoma was unable to break through against a trio of LBSU pitchers, stranding a dozen runners on base throughout the game, and eight through the first five innings.
“I saw great pitching and a lot of confidence. They showed a lot of what they’re capable of today,” said Sowder of the pitching staff. “It was really good. And with that pitching and our defense, I’m very confident going against anybody.”
The Sooners had gone 131 straight games without being shut out through 7 innings, and the last team to hold Oklahoma off the scoreboard through 10 frames was Missouri, all the way back on Apr. 17, 2011.
Senior Shannon Haddad went once through the order, pitching carefully in her 2.1 innings to start off the day. She was relieved by freshman Brynne Nally, who entered in relief in the third and stranded the bases loaded with a pair of massive strikeouts in the inning.
The LBSU defense made a big play in the fifth, as left fielder Jacquelyn Bickar made a perfect throw to the plate to cut down a potential go-ahead run for the Sooners. Ella Parker was thrown out trying to score from second base, then another strikeout looking for Nally helped her get through her 2.2 scoreless innings in the circle.
“They had good locations, and we were trying to fight them off but we weren’t getting our swings off the way that we wanted,” said Gasso of what made Long Beach so tough to score against. “I think both pitching staffs did a phenomenal job. Both defenses did a phenomenal job. So it was just who’s going to crack that code. And I’m really proud of this team for sticking in there.”
Freshman Maddy Martin was next in line, and made her collegiate debut in quite a spot. Martin inherited a runner on second base in the sixth inning, going against the No. 2 team in the nation. She was unfazed by the situation, and set the Sooners down in order to get out of the inning.
“I really just did it for my team,” Martin said. “I knew all the girls behind me really wanted that game, and so did I, and they just made me want it a million times more … I just love this team so much, and they made me feel so confident.”
In the seventh, a pair of two-out hits gave Oklahoma another golden scoring chance, but Martin made some huge pitches to get out of it. After falling behind 3-0, she worked her way back to strike out Oklahoma cleanup hitter Cydney Sanders for the second out, then forced a slow grounder to leave two runners in scoring position.
“Honestly, tunnel vision,” said Martin on her key to success. “Me and my catcher, Rebekah (Durazo), have good battery chemistry, and she just keeps me really locked in on just the pitch.”
At one stretch, Martin retired nine in a row to push the game into extra innings, giving the Beach four opportunities to walk the game off with just a single run. Martin allowed just three baserunners over five scoreless innings until the Sooners were able to mount a decisive rally in the 11th.
Oklahoma leadoff hitter Abby Dayton delivered the go-ahead knock with two outs and runner on second base, serving an RBI double into left center, a few feet from the outstretched glove of LBSU center fielder Makayla Medellin. Dayton would then score the second run on an RBI single from Parker, who reached base five times on Sunday.
Dayton also made a crucial play defensively for the Sooners, way back in the fourth inning. After a leadoff walk to Bickar, she was advanced to third base with two outs and cleanup hitter Rebekah Durazo at the plate. She sent a ball over second base and into shallow right center, where Dayton flew in from center to make a run-saving grab.
Long Beach State put the leadoff batter on base in three consecutive innings from 7-9, but a couple of over-aggressive baserunning mistakes resulted in costly double plays that squashed those scoring chances. The Beach had just three hits in the game (all singles) to go with two walks and two hit batters, but also only struck out five times.
The Beach will remain at home this week with games against Winthrop and San Diego on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. Oklahoma will be in Waco, Texas this weekend with two games apiece vs. Hostra and Baylor.
But Sunday’s game will surely stick with both teams throughout the rest of the season, and it was a particularly memorable day for Gasso, who still looks back fondly on her time in Long Beach after becoming one of the most successful coaches ever in Oklahoma.
“I was very nostalgic,” said Gasso on the feeling of returning home. “This is where I met my husband. I’m looking at the racquetball courts where we used to play a lot. So it just brings back wonderful memories. And for Kim to allow us to come in here and get a really great game in, it was important for us. A lot of friends are out here, so it’s been really fun. It really kind of took me off my game a little bit, because there are so many of them.”
