May 18, 2007

2007 NCAA Amherst Regional
May 18-20, 2007
Amherst, Mass.
Game 1: No. 1 Oklahoma 5, No. 4 Colgate 2

Colgate Opening Statement, Head Coach Vickie Sax
"We were excited to be here and we followed the game plan which was to come out aggressive and come out hard and that's what we really felt that we did."

Coach Sax on pitching around Samantha Ricketts
"We did a great job following our scouting report and Kelsey did a tremendous job pitching around some people. I think that we were really successful at that. You are looking at the number one team in the country in offense."

Coach Sax on the game plan and how it was executed
"That was our game plan from the beginning. To come out, shorten up our swings, put the ball into play, and be aggressive. I think that we really caught them off guard without a doubt and put the pressure on them, and that was very exciting for us to have that lead and to watch them try to get themselves back into it."

Coach Sax on tomorrow's game
"I don't think it matters who we play tomorrow. If we play tomorrow like we did today, and if we play tomorrow like we did against Lehigh, we're going to beat anybody."

Oklahoma Opening Statement, Head Coach Patty Gasso
"The first game of a tournament of this magnitude is always something that any team comes in--especially if you are the No. 1--a little nervy because you know what the expectations are. I felt like it took us a little while to get our feet grounded and feel comfortable, but I definitely give credit to Kelsey Nordstrom. I felt she threw extremely well today. The Colgate team came out ready to attack; they did a fantastic job of scoring early. Their game plan is what we wished happen for us. We were on the different end of that and we had to figure out how we would overcome that adversity. Traci Dickenson stepped up and got us on the board and I think at that point we exhaled a little bit and started to get things going in our direction."

Samantha Ricketts on being pitched around
"I wasn't expecting to be pitched around. I go up to the plate every time prepared to swing and prepared to go after it. I knew with runners on that I would have to go after anything close to the strike zone and I got a good pitch to hit."

Lauren Eckermann on getting behind early in the game
"With this type of team and the offense that we have it's easy to buckle down and focus even after giving up runs early. I know that they are behind me and are going to score runs and keep the [other team] off the board as much as they can... It definitely takes the pressure off of you if you are ahead early."