Senior third baseman Lindsey Vandever led the Sooners to an early four run lead in the first inning with a grand slam during the 6-4 win over North Texas on Wednesday night in Norman. The Sooners are 16-3 for the season with the win.

Although the Sooners won the contest, head coach Patty Gasso was disappointed in the team’s performance.

“I didn’t think it was good performance whatsoever from a coach’s point of view,” Gasso said. “Be happy with the win but that’s all I can say. I thought we played soft and as a team that’s this loaded with this much talent needs to learn how to play tough day in and day out.”

With a lot of walks allowed by the OU pitching staff, Gasso called them average regardless of the numbers. Freshman pitcher Keilani Ricketts recorded her 10th win of the season with five strikeouts in 2.2 innings pitched. Ricketts relieved freshman pitcher Michelle Gascoigne who pitched the first three innings. Sophomore pitcher Kirsten Allen came in to finish out the game.

After the first inning, North Texas responded by hitting a solo home run in the third iand added another run in the top of the fourth with a RBI single to bring the cut the lead 4-2. The Mean Green loaded the bases before Ricketts struck out the last batter.

The OU offense also quieted down after the first inning. After the grand slam, Vandever walked twice during the game. Vandever, the team captain, also felt that the team’s energy slumped during the middle of the game.

“We came out hard but we got complacent because we got a big lead,” Vandever said. “Not a big lead, but a pretty decent lead, and we got soft on them.”

The Sooners host the Oklahoma Spring Festival this weekend. The next game is at 6 p.m. Friday against Utah in Norman.