The Daily Oklahoman from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma • 45

FBIDAY, MAY 1 1 2001 --5-P SOFTBALL BASEBALL GOLF THE DAILY OKLAHOMAN Bedlam: Series always exciting Braitsch avoids tag; OU escapes From Page 1-D BIG 12 BASEBALL POWER RANKINGS 1. Nebraska (19-6, 40-12): Magic number at one for league title. 2. Baylor (15-8, 34-18): Taking on Tech, likely for second place. 3.

Texas (1 9-1 1 34-22): Off until the tournament 4. Texas Tech (17-9-1, 37-15-1): Will week off cool the Red(hot) Raiders? 5. Oklahoma State (13-14, 35-18): The pressure is on. 6. Texas (13-14, 28-25): Gets to The Brick with one win at Miz-zou.

7. Oklahoma (1 3-1 3-1 23-28-1 Finally feeling good about itself. 8. Iowa State (9-14, 21-26-1): Happy ending slipping away. 9.

Missouri (10-17, 30-22-1 Taking two of three gets Tigers to Oklahoma City. 10. Kansas State (10-17, 25-26): Can only watch and hope. 11. Kansas (7-23, 23-30): Killed the 'Cats.

Nolo: Reconis through Wednesday's games. Colorado doesnl CeU a basebaimam. BY JOHN HELSLEY Oklahoma 2 Critical play at plate sends Sooners to semis sTim Texas By Berry Tramel Sports Editor Did she or didn't she? Did Texas Tech catcher Shauna Briggs tag sliding Sooner Kelli Braitsch on Thursday night in the Big 12 Softball Tournament at Hall of Fame Stadium? Briggs said yes. Braitsch said the winning run to score in the ninth. As in 1998, when OSU third baseman Steve Hill misplayed a third-out popup near the pitching mound, allowing the ball to drop and the winning run to score in the ninth.

As in 1996, when the Cowboys committed six errors and lost, when then-coach Gary Ward left saying he was embarrassed by his ballclub. Twice, in '93 and '96, the Tulsa victories were OU's only Bedlam breakthroughs, as the Sooners went 1-4 and 1-5 in those season series. The unmistakable bottom line: There's something about Drillers Stadium that doesn't agree with OSU. "We've had some bad luck in Tulsa," Cowboys pitcher Josh Metrigan says. "That's what I heard when I came in here." Merrigan didn't hear it from his coach.

Bring any of that up, suggest any jinx or hex or outside influence, and risk the wrath of Holliday. "To sit around and think there's a jinx or a certain attitude that's present, that's all wrong," Holliday says. "I don't buy any of that." Oh, but he hears it. From the media. From fans.

Even from friends. And it wears Holliday thin. "I don't think it does any good to go in and say a ballpark is bad luck, or gives you the creeps," Holliday says. "I In filth place: The Sooners, at 13-13-1, riding a season-best, seven-game winning streak. Now, OU's overall mark is disappointing at 23-28-1 and not likely to produce an at-large bid.

But the recent success has a once-touted team talking about making a run. through Bedlam, through the Big 12 Tournament and to a regional somewhere. So you have Bedlam, big as -ever, bearing the usual bad tentions. 7 "Oh, yeah," OU pitcher Evan Greusel says. "Regardless of where we're at or where the standings are, you want to bring them down.

"This series is about brag-ging rights for the state, bragging rights for the people who have nothing to do with baseball, just something to cheer for. To beat 'em just to beat 'em, if nothing else." Some things never change. "It's big every year," Holli- day says, "whether the two teams are good or bad, average or sad." have a dear friend who doesn't even like to go to the games in Tulsa. Well, they're going to miss a good game." Friday nights in Tulsa have been, at least good. Seven of the 10 Bedlam games in Tulsa have been decided by two runs or less; none by more than four runs, with OU's 9-5 win in 1997 coming on a Brian Shackelford grand slam in the 10th inning.

If that's not enough to get excited about, the games always carry clout in conference matters, whether the Big 12 or the old Big Eight. This year is no different. The Cowboys, once figured as a lock for a regional tournament bid, have lost five of their last six games, four of six league series. They are just 17-15 since standing 18-3 on March 14. At 35-18 overall, the record is solid enough.

But at 13-14 in conference, OSU is tied for sixth in the Big 12, and the league isn't likely to produce more than five NCAA teams, if that many. BEDLAM BASEBALL OU vs. OSU THE SCHEDULE Tonight: 7 p.m. at Drillers Stadium in Tulsa Saturday: 2 p.m. at Southwestern Bell Bricktown Ballpark Sunday: 2 p.m.

at Bricktown Ballpark THE ROTATIONS Oklahoma Rocky Cherry (8-6, 4.27 ERA) Evan Greusel ERA) Austin Mix (3-7, 4.42 ERA) Oklahoma State Josh Merrigan (6-4, 5.06 ERA) Mike Miller Nick McCurdy (5-4, 3.65) THE SERIES: The Sooners lead the series 129-126, after sweeping all four games last year. OU has won 1 1 of 1 6 matchups since the formation of the Big 12 Conference, including all three Big 12 Tournament meetings. The Sooners have won 17 of the last 19 series openers. SCOUTING REPORT: If OSU doesn't receive a regional bid, point no further than the loss of catcher Ryan Budde and pitcher Scott Baker to injuries. Budde was a preseason All-American and Baker, while a freshman, had become the Cowboys' most reliable starter and owned a 6-2 record.

The Sooners' seven-game winning streak is the best current run in the Big 12. OU outfielder Greg Dobbs leads the league with a .419 batting average, with eight home runs and 55 RBIs; second baseman Nebasett Brown leads OSU at .361 CONFERENCE NOTES: Cowboys right fielder Luke Scott and OU pitchers Rocky Cherry and Evan Greusel are three of the 38 players named First Team Academic All-Big 12, requiring a minimum 3.2 grade point average. Named to the second team (3.0 to 3.1 9) were OSU's Mike Wilier, Toby Rhodes and Rob Watson, OU's Austin Coose and Texas Tech's Cory Metzler, a former Yukon standout. Sooner first baseman Charlie Frasier took the Big 12 Player of the Week honor, after belting three home runs and leading OU's sweep of Iowa State. Nebraska and Texas face magic numbers of 1 The Huskers can clinch their irst conference baseball title in 41 years by winning one of three games at Iowa State.

The Aggies clinch a spot in the Big 12 Tournament with one win at Missouri. pVWHt For bonus coverage of BlU HI this weekend's Bedlam baseball series, log on to www.oklahoman.com. BY JOHN HELSLEY no. Home-plate umpire Lisa Harvey broke the tie: No. Harvey ruled Braitsch safe, giving Lisa Carey a two-run single and, eventually, fifth-ranked Oklahoma a 2-1 victory in front of 1,556 fans at Hall of Fame Sta State at 7:30 tonight.

"This was a huge game for us," said OU coach Patty Gasso, whose team seeks a No. 1 seed and to host a regional in the NCAA Tournament. "If we can pull this off and get to the championship game, I feel confident we can host." Carmen Grindell's leadoff homer in the second inning gave Tech a 1-0 lead. But Tech ace Amanda Renfro walked the Sooners' Lakisha Washington and Braitsch to lead off the third. They were bunted over, then OU's Lisa Carey blooped a hit that fell in front of diving centerfielder Sandy Butler.

Washington scored easily, but Butler's throw to the plate beat Braitsch's arrival. Braitsch slid wide, Briggs reached to tag and Harvey made no sign. Braitsch scrambled to touch home plate, then Harvey signaled safe. By then, Briggs said, she wasn't watching. She was leering at- Carey, who had dashed to second base.

"Our first baseman was yelling at me, 'tag her, tag Briggs said. "What do you mean tag her? I already did." OU's Jennifer Stewart needed no more offensive help. She finished off a two-hitter and retired the final 15 Tech batters. Stewart (31-3) struck out five and walked none. Stewart and Renfro, said Tech coach Bobby Reeves, "were a pair of great pitchers that threw Jennifer Stewart: Gets the win on the mound for the Sooners.

dium. "I can't argue with what the umpire says," Briggs said. "But she was out. Point blank, she was out." Said Braitsch: "I'm just lucky that she missed me. I didn't feel the tag." The victory, OU's 16th straight, puts the 43-7 Sooners into the bracket finals at 5 p.m.

today against the winner of today's Nebraska-Kansas game. OU would have to lose two straight games to miss the 3 p.m. Saturday title game. Tech, 33-21, plays Texas at 1:30 today, with the winner advancing to play Oklahoma season-high six errors and left coach Gary Ward saying "If the first time in a long time that I've been embarrassed by a-performance by a ballclub." OU won 7-5. 1 995: Two hit batsmen in the bottom of the ninth pre- ceeded a game-winning single by Jesse Zepeda for the Sooners, who prevailed 7-6.

1 994: OSU's Jake Benz tripped rounding third, but he broke any Drillers Stadium jinx at least briefly as he scored the winning run on Peter Prodanov's single. The -Cowboys won 4-3, after losing their first give games in the park. 1993: Freshman Steve Connelly fired a six-hitter at the Cowboys, leading OU to a 4-0 win. It was the first Bedlam Series shutout in eight years. 1992: OSU stranded nine runners in the first six innings, allowing Sooners ace Casey Mendenhall to recover and lead the Sooners to a 4-1 victory.

1991: Sooner pitchers issued 11 walks, but Marty Neff and Derrick White OU's "Bash Brothers" drove in four runs each in a 1 0-8 win in the inaugural Bedlam Series game played at Drillers Stadium. OU rules in Tulsa OU has ruled Bedlam Series games played in Tulsa, owning a 9-1 advantage at Drillers Stadium, while winning just 1 6 of the other 43 games played in the last 1 0 years. 2000: The Sooners won 5-3 with the big blow an opposite-field RBI triple by seldom-used catcher Eliot Joy-ner, OU's nine-hole hitter. It was the first win in a 4-0 season sweep that included a win at the Big 12 Tournament. And it was OU's first season sweep of the Cowboys since 1977.

1999: OU scored the game-winner on Billy Gasparino's ninth-inning error and the Sooners prevailed 4-3, despite a 14-strikeout performance by OSU ace Matt Smith. 1998: A two-out, ninth-inning popup fell on the infield, allowing the winning run to score for the Sooners in a stunning 5-4 final. 1 997: Brian Shackelford hit two home runs, including a 10th-inning grand slam, as OU overpowered the slugging Cowboys 9-5 in the first season of the Big 12. 1 996: The Cowboys blew a three-run lead, committed a Softball: OSU still unbeaten Seminole's Simmons retiring at season's end one-hopper; shortstop Casey O'Neill speared the ball and sprinted to third to beat the Jayhawk runner. "That was the play of the game," Kipp said.

"We want the ball to be hit to us." Despite a couple of misplays by second baseman Lezli Leathers against Nebraska, OSU's defense stiffened at the right times, including a catch and against-the-grain-toss for a double play. Nebraska pitcher Peaches James (15-5) hadn't lost since Feb. 24, but in the first inning two of OSU's first three batters scored. Danielle Thomas walked, and Amanda Hayes beat out a one-out bunt. OSU's Ryan Reamulto missed a bunt, and Thomas looked caught between third and home.

But Nebraska catcher Amber Burgess threw the ball into left field, allowing Thomas to score. Then Reamulto hit a sacrifice fly that scored Hayes. From Page 1-D as a senior. She whiffed eight Huskers on Thursday. OSU (26-22) strengthened its case for an NCAA Tournament berth and is one of two unbeaten teams left in this tournament.

The Cowgirls play at 7:30 tonight against the winner of today's Texas Tech game. Nebraska (48-12) plays Kansas at 1:30 today in an elimination game. Earlier in the day, OSU beat Kansas 2-1 as Bay pitched a five-hitter and Jade Lindly hit a solo homer. And just as it did later against Nebraska, the left side of OSU's infield produced clutch plays. Against KU, with the bases loaded and two out in the sixth inning, Kipp deflected a inducted in the NJCAA Hall of Fame, said he'd prefer a noisy-exit.

"I told the players we are riding on a train, and they are the engineers and I'm the pas--senger," he said. "I'd like this' locomotive to make two or three more stops. I'd like it to take me back to the College World Series." Simmons' teams have not won the NJCAA title in 13 ap- pearances at the national tournament. The Region II winner will host the South Central District Final against the Missouri re-, gion winner. That winner will advance to the national tourna- ment in Grand Junction, Colo.

terback this week, Simmons said Utterback was interested in hiring "someone emotionally tied to the program, maybe a former player. There are three former players coaching high school teams in the state playoffs, and a lot more out there." This year's Seminole team is 40-16 and was ranked fourth nationally at one time but eventually fell out of the rankings. "We hit a lull because four or five of our top pitchers got hurt," Simmons said. "It's been a lot better over the last two weeks. We're getting some of those players back," Simmons, who in 1997 was thought about it the last couple of days, and I think it will be best to step down for a younger guy who has the emotion." Simmons said he didn't know what he'd do after coaching.

"I don't fish, hunt or golf, so it might be tough," he said. Simmons suffered a dislocated shoulder over the winter, and it has hindered his activities on the field. "I can't swing a fungo (bat), and I didn't want to stand around. I feel I can't keep the same pace I've kept over 26 years." Simmons will head the search for a new coach. When he broke the news to Seminole State College president Jim Ut- By Jerry Shottenkirk Staff Writer SEMINOLE Seminole State's Lloyd Simmons, who has won more games than any other coach in college baseball, has announced his retirement.

Simmons, whose Trojans are competing in the Region II junior college tournament in Fort Smith, has won 1,639 games in his 26 years at Seminole. His retirement will become effective after Seminole State's last game, which he hopes is not soon. "I felt this is the right time," the 56-year-old coach said. "I BIG 12 SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT 23 2 4 2 Totall South western Boll WOMEN'S COLLEGE GOLF Texas ASM 4, Iowa Stale 0 Nebraska 9. Misaoum Oklahoma 7.

Texas 0 Texas 4, Missouri 0 BIG 12 CONFERENCE Oamo 14: Oklahoma Stale va. Texas ASMTexsa Tech winner, Baseball Tournament Kipp 3b Hayes II RoalrMoc iwmnor, IKJOnm.ifrwoiBsaiy Oame 17: Championship, 3 p.m. Thursday's Games OKLAHOMA TEXAS TECH 1 Roelhemyr 30 3 0 Prammanasudh leads women's golf regional WEST LAFAYETTE, hid. Tulsa's Stacy Prammanasudh leads the field, and Oklahoma State's Linda Wes-sberg is tied for second at the NCAA women's central golf regional, Prammanasudh shot a two-under par-70 and has a one stroke lead over Wessberg and Purdue's Kari Damron. Tulsa is in fourth place at 300, five strokes behind firat-place Purdue, Oklahoma State is in sixth place at 304, Oklahoma shot 314, good for llth place, Lisa Meldrum led the Sooners with a 77, The tournament will re 3 0 0 0 Arnold rt i a mi a SB fiuhr till.

SB Oooe CS dllchle 2 0 0 0 SH Kipp (16), Buchholz (9). SF-Realmulo S), IP II BR DB SO 8:10. TEXAS TECH 0, BAYLOR 0 sume with 18 holos today and ((KM 6), I Cauda (8-5). HA; TT Joachims (4); Harannan TEXAS AM 4, MISSOURI NSS0U1 mmmmmmmjm 000 0081 conclude on Saturday. The top eight teams and two individuals will advance to the Stap-hanla Falk and Mary MeOrane, Jessica Slalaper i lena cotlna, Slalaper fi 00).

Falk (2440). KANSAS 10, BAYLOR NCAA women's golf championships May 23-26 at the Mission Inn Golf Tennis Rosort ,,,200 011 0- 4 B4 in Howoy-in-the-Hills, Fla, mm 1 0 0 0 Campballdh 3 0 0 0 ayeslf 3 0 2 1 Garvayrfd 4 0 0 0 aalmutoc 3 0 0 0 UrauharOb 0 1 0 odOMlb 3 0 0 0 TabbdMI 3 0 0 0 ricMaW 3 0 0 0 WHOM at .3 0 0 0 ndtyrf 2 111 MuaaerK 3 12 1 uthamib '3 0 0 0 HulaeBb 3 0 0 0 FROM STAFF REPORTS.