1 week Ago By The Oklahoman
Fans started lining up at the Devon Park gates nearly two hours before the first pitch, and once those gates opened, they filled every seat in the softball sanctuary.They created an electric environment, roaring and groaning, celebrating and lamenting.They made an April evening feel like a June night.
The only way anyone knew Wednesday’s Bedlam showdown wasn’t a Women’s College World Series game was that the temperatures were too pleasant.No looming chance of thunderstorms either.But on a night Oklahoma scored an impressive 11-3 run-rule victory against Oklahoma State, this state got to add another feather in its softball cap.
The attendance — 9,259 — set the record for a regular-season college softball game.“And it should be between these two schools,” Oklahoma State senior associate athletic director Jesse Martin said.Indeed.
More: OU softball roars past OSU in Bedlam as Sooners, Cowgirls help set NCAA attendance recordThis state has become the epicenter of softball. We have two of the best college programs in the country, we have the most passionate fans in the sport, and we have an unparalleled softball facility. On Wednesday, all of it converged to make history.
The previous regular-season record was set only a couple of years ago at the same stadium. OU was there, but instead of OSU, Texas was the foe.The attendance: 8,930.
Make no mistake, that was a grand night. Only a few days before, Longhorn coach Mike White had made some comments that brought the ire of Sooner fans. Every time he did anything — emerge from the dugout, talk to the umpires, change pitchers — he was booed mercilessly.
The drama was high.Interestingly, the theatrics weren’t as palpable Wednesday despite this being the first time the programs have met since OU moved to the SEC and OSU stayed in the Big 12. Not every sport is playing Bedlam this season.
Some may not play for many years to come, though it is just plain silly.(Looking at you, football.)But Martin said he and his Sooner counterpart, OU executive associate athletic director Toby Baldwin, along with their respective head coaches were always committed to softball Bedlam this year.
Even as football and others were saber-rattling, they made a plan to not only play but also meet at Devon Park.That felt right.“This is the softball capital of the world,” Martin said.
And it felt like it was Wednesday night. Granted, it didn’t have the stakes of a WCWS game — the loser’s season isn’t over — but it had some interesting quirks. More: Oklahoma State softball overwhelmed by 'here it goes again' moment in Bedlam lossRight behind home plate, for instance, tickets were split between OU and OSU fans.
Sort of like the OU-Texas football game. Now, the split didn’t hold at Devon Park quite as starkly as it does at the Cotton Bowl, but there were spots where an aisle was all that separated a Sooner section from a Cowgirl section.And unlike WCWS games, fans on Wednesday night were in one of two colors.
(Though a guy in a Florida Gator shirt was spotted on the concourse. Maybe he was lost.)“You see so much orange and red,” USA Softball chief executive officer Craig Cress said as he watched fans file in before the game.
“It’s something you don’t see at the World Series because there’s so many different fans that have different alliances.“This is a true rivalry. I’m gonna guess it’s gonna get loud in here later.
”It didn’t take long for the noise to crank up.“It was definitely amazing,” said OU ace Sam Landry, who transferred after spending the past three years at Louisiana. “There were a lot of people here.
It was really loud. I think the loudness is something we kind of deal with at Love’s (Field) as well, but I think today I kind of let it get to me a little bit too much at the beginning of the game. I was trying to fight the nerves and anxiety I had versus playing with it.
”OSU ace Ruby Meylan knew the feeling.“I threw up before the game,” she said with a laugh. “I was pretty nervous.
”That’s what the biggest crowd ever at a regular-season college softball game can do to you. It can intimidate. Rattle.
Scare. But it can also wow.As the sun set on the softball mecca and the stadium lights blazed, they illuminated quite the scene — more than 9,200 fans and two top programs sharing one amazing stage.
More: OU softball vs OSU recap: Sooners storm past Cowgirls for run-rule win in BedlamJenni Carlson: Jenni can be reached at [email protected]. Like her at facebook.
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