OU softball sweeps ISU; OSU, Baylor split

NORMAN — Kelly Maxwell dominated in her Big 12 debut with the Oklahoma Sooners.

The veteran left-hander allowed Iowa State to reach on a leadoff walk, but turned around to retire 11-straight batters. She didn’t allow a hit until the fourth inning, striking out eight Cyclone batters in the complete game shutout.

Oklahoma’s offense got all the support it needed in the circle from Maxwell, powering past Iowa State 4-0 thanks to a three-run home run from Cydney Sanders in the fourth inning at Love’s Field.

OU (20-1) avoided the upset bug that has passed around the Big 12 on opening weekend, holding off Iowa State (9-11) in the first game of Saturday’s double-header.

Alyssa Brito nearly opened the scoring in the first inning. With Jayda Coleman already on second, the OU third baseman hammered a ball that looked destined for the bleachers in left field, but the ball was held up by the strong wind that blew back toward home plate all afternoon.

The elements kept the ball in the park, and Iowa State left fielder Angelina Allen camped out under the ball to make the catch.

Coleman got greedy and attempted to get to third after tagging up at second base anyways, by Allens’ relay throw beat her in for an anticlimactic tag at third base to end the inning.

The Sooners squandered a pair of baserunners in the second inning, but Brito’s RBI-single finally broke the deadlock in the third inning.

There was no suspense in the second game of the split doubleheader as the Sooners rolled to a 11-2 victory behind the pitching of Nicole May who ran her record to 7-0 with a solid four-hit effort.

The OU bats were going at a fast pace with everyone getting into the act with Cydney Sanders leading the way with a pair of hits, one a home run, and four RBI. Jayda Coleman added two hits as well including a home run and several other OU hitters collected RBI hits as they rolled to the big win.

The Sooners will go for the 3-game series sweep when they face the Cyclones in the final game today at 1 p.m.

Baylor blanks OSU, evens series

WACO, Texas – In a pitching-dominated game that resulted in only three hits total between the two teams, No. 4 Oklahoma State lost a 2-0 decision to No. 19 Baylor at Getterman Stadium Saturday.

The defeat snapped OSU’s 13-game win streak and moved the Cowgirls to 19-3 overall and 1-1 in the Big 12. Baylor improved to 14-4 overall and 1-1 in the league. The rubber match of the series is set for 1 p.m. CT tomorrow.

Neither team got a hit until OSU catcher Caroline Wang led off the fifth inning with a single. The game was decided in the sixth when Baylor’s Caroline Rowatt beat a throw home to score, followed by a sac fly from Kaci West that scored Ana Watson with an insurance run.

Cowgirl right-hander Kyra Aycock took a no-hitter into the fifth inning and Ivy Rosenberry (5-1) allowed only one hit in her 1 1/3 innings of relief, but the fielder’s choice and sac fly were all the Bears needed behind a one-hit, complete game shutout from right-hander RyLee Crandall (7-0).

OSU had taken the series opening Friday as Lexi Kilfoyl allowed only one unearned run in eight innings of work and Claire Timm blasted a two-run home run in the eighth inning to lift the Cowgirls to a 4-1 win over No. 19 Baylor in the conference opener for both teams.

The victory extended the Cowgirls’ current winning streak to 13 games as OSU improved to 19-2 overall and 1-0 in the Big 12. Baylor fell to 13-4 overall and 0-1 in the league.

Kilfoyl extended her streak to 38 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run. The right-hander tallied six strikeouts against the Bears and yielded only two hits. She improved to 8-2 on the year and improved her season earned run average to 0.60.

After four scoreless innings for both teams an error from the Cowgirls in the fifth resulted in Baylor’s only run of the night.

With one out in the seventh, OSU pinch runner Tia Warsop scored from second base in daring fashion on a routine fielder’s choice to tie the game at one.

Timm’s two-run blast in the eighth – her third of the season – staked the Cowgirls to a 3-1 lead and later in the inning, sie Davis ripped an RBI single to left to score Karli Godwin and put OSU ahead, 4-1.

Offensive standouts for the Cowgirls included Godwin (3-for-3 with a double and a run scored) and Tallen Edwards (3-for-4 with a run scored).