'That’s the look': How Jordy Bahl showed why she's the ace of OU softball pitching staff

NORMAN — Jordy Bahl was already waiting in the circle when Kinzie Hansen took her position behind the plate in the ninth inning Saturday at Marita Hynes FIeld.

Hansen looked out toward the middle of the field as the opening notes of “Enter Sandman” started blaring.

“When that plays and she stares at me through her mask, I was like, ‘Yeah, that’s it. That’s the look,’” Hansen said.

Any nervousness Hansen was feeling faded away as Bahl locked in and began her warmup tosses.

“She looks at me and she swings her arm — it’s just the look that she gets and I’m just like, ‘All right, let’s rock and roll,’” Hansen said. “It’s just the vibe you get, the battery, and I’m sure everybody else can feel it, too.”

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Plenty felt it Saturday as Bahl threw three scoreless innings of relief, picking up the win as OU clinched a Women’s College World Series berth with a nine-inning, 8-7 win over Clemson.

Bahl and the top-seeded Sooners open the WCWS against ninth-seeded Stanford at 1:30 p.m. Thursday at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium.

If there were any questions about who the Sooners’ ace is, Bahl answered them in the super regional.

First, Bahl got the start Friday in the opening game of the super regional.

For much of Saturday, it looked like OU coach Patty Gasso was going to avoid using Bahl.

After Nicole May and Alex Storako both struggled and the Sooners trailed 7-4, Gasso instead brought in freshman Kierston Deal while Bahl stayed standing in the rail inside the dugout, charting pitches.

But after Hansen jolted the crowd to life with a three-run, game-tying homer in the top of the seventh inning, Bahl went to work in the bullpen.

Gasso quickly knew it was the right call.

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“She was at another level — a whole other level,” Gasso said. “And we all knew it. And that was a good, good feeling. She knew we needed her and she wanted the ball.”

Bahl needed 21 pitches to get through the seventh, but there was no real danger, as she retired the side in order — including striking out Clemson star Valerie Cagle.

Bahl needed just eight pitches to retire the side in the eighth, keeping the game alive for Tiare Jennings to blast a solo home run to lead off the ninth and put the Sooners just three outs away from a seventh consecutive trip to Oklahoma City.

After flying out to left for the first out in the top of the ninth, Hansen wasn’t in a major hurry to get her gear back on.

Even when Alyssa Brito grounded into a double play to end the inning, Hansen wasn’t in a major hurry, thanks to the extra time afforded by television timeouts.

Most of the Sooners lingered in front of the dugout, but Bahl was ready to go with two minutes remaining in the break.

“We usually go out at about a minute (left on the clock),” Gasso said. “Two minutes, she’s standing on the mound. I’m like, ‘bring her back.’”

Then Gasso remembered who she was talking about.

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“Let her do whatever she needs to do,” Gasso said. “She was locked in. I felt really, really confident when she came out.”

Hansen hurried to get onto the field, as the Metallica song began, drawing the record crowd at Marita Hynes Field to their feet.

“There’s certain games where I go out there with Jordy where I know that I don’t really have to say anything,” Hansen said. “There was two minutes on the clock and she was ready to go right when I got my gear on. I was like, ‘OK, cool, we’re rolling. I’m just going to let her do her thing.’

"Just being able to feel her out, because they need to be able to set the pace for themselves, so being able to feel that out is obviously tremendous in order for her to feel comfortable in her headspace.”

A year ago, Bahl missed much of the postseason.

She returned for the WCWS, throwing a combined nine innings in three appearances, allowing eight hits and five earned runs and picking up the start and getting a win in the final game of the championship series.

After struggling some earlier this season, Bahl has been dominant of late, allowing just one earned run over her last 17 innings.

As much as anything, Bahl has embraced big moments.

She did that last year with her early start against UCLA, and this season Bahl has again gotten the ball in more critical spots than any other Sooners’ pitcher.

That included Saturday, and figures to continue to be the case during the WCWS.

More: How is Jocelyn Alo's influence on OU softball still paying off? Ask Tiare Jennings

Thursday's WCWS games

At USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium (all games on ESPN):

Game 1: Alabama vs. Tennessee, 11 a.m.

Game 2: Oklahoma vs. Stanford, 1:30 p.m.

Game 3: Oklahoma State vs. Florida State, 6 p.m.

Game 4: Washington vs. Utah, 8:30 p.m.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU softball: Jordy Bahl shows why she's ace of Sooners' pitching staff