Sooners sweep Baylor; OSU routs BYU to get series win

NORMAN – The top-ranked Oklahoma softball team took both games of Saturday’s split doubleheader behind seven home runs, earning a series sweep over No. 19 Baylor at Love’s Field to remain unbeaten in Big 12 play.

Oklahoma (31-1, 9-0 Big 12) run-ruled Baylor (17-11, 1-8 Big 12) 12-3 in front of a stadium-record 4,520 fans in game one before taking the doubleheader and series finale 7-4. Ella Parker provided the “walk-off” run-rule win in game one with an opposite-field grand slam, Alyssa Brito homered in both games and six multi-hit performances were delivered by the Sooner lineup between the two games.

The Sooners enter Sunday’s off day a game-and-a-half ahead of Texas and 2.0 full games ahead of Oklahoma State in the Big 12 standings at 9-0. OU extended its winning streak to 13 games with the doubleheader sweep.

OU begins seven straight games on the road with a Tuesday midweek contest at Wichita State in Wichita, Kansas. The Sooners and Shockers are set to start at 6 p.m. CT at Wilkins.

Oklahoma’s lineup blasted four home runs and drew seven walks in Saturday’s first game to support a strong start by Nicole May as the Sooners welcomed a Love’s Field-record 4,520 fans to their new home. The senior right-hander improved to 10-0 on the season by tossing 5.0 innings of three-run ball, scattering five hits and a walk while striking out seven.

Rylie Boone (2-for-3, 2 R) smacked a two-out single back up the middle in the second inning, bringing Jayda Coleman (1-for-2, 2 BB, 3 R, HR, 2 RBI) to the plate in a scoreless game. OU’s centerfielder promptly blasted a 2-1 offering over the center field wall for her fifth home run of the season, putting the Sooners in front 2-0.

Alyssa Brito (2-for-2, 2 BB, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI) launched a leadoff home run to open the third inning. Brito would go on to reach in each of her four trips in the win, scoring twice and driving in a pair. Baylor responded with a two-run home run pulled around the right field foul pole to make it a one-run game in the fourth.

OU struck back quickly an inning later as each of the first five Sooners to bat in the home half of the fourth reached, highlighted by a Tiare Jennings (1-for-3, BB, RBI) run-scoring single. Ella Parker (1-for-3, R, HR, 5 RBI) added a one-out sacrifice fly, pushing the Oklahoma lead back to three.

A gritty series finale awaited the Sooners in Saturday’s second game. Jayda Coleman (2-for-4, R, 2B) led off the home half of the first with a double, advanced to third on a Tiare Jennings (2-for-4, 2 R, 2B, RBI) fly out then scored two batters later on an Ella Parker (1-for-3, BB, R, RBI) single back up the middle to give OU an early 1-0 lead.

Kierston Deal worked through trouble in the second, escaping a bases-loaded jam with a soft fly ball, a strikeout and a fielder’s choice. Oklahoma’s sophomore battled through control issues to provide 4.0 effective innings of one-run ball. She struck out a pair while navigating around four walks and three hits, improving to 7-0 on the season.

The Sooners pushed their advantage to 3-0 on an Alyssa Brito (2-for-4, R, HR, 3 RBI) two-run home run in the third that sailed over the junipers in the batter’s eye, becoming the first player to clear the eye at Love’s Field. Baylor got a run back with a solo shot in the fourth, but Alynah Torres (2-for-2, BB, R, HR, 2 RBI) blasted a towering solo shot to center while leading off the home half of the frame.

Karlie Keeney entered in the fifth and retired five of six batters faced, the lone runner reaching on an error. Oklahoma’s right-hander recorded her 700th collegiate inning pitched, retiring her 2,100th college batter as part of her effective evening out of the pen, and logged the first Sooner hold of 2024.

Friday night Jennings broke the Oklahoma softball team’s program record for career doubles as the top-ranked Sooners defeated Baylor, 8-1, in front of 8,798 fans at Hall of Fame Stadium on Friday evening in Oklahoma City.

Jennings moved ahead of Sydney Romero with her 59th career double, leading off the home half of the third by lacing the historic two-bagger down the left field line. The shortstop finished a triple shy of the cycle, going 3-for-3 with a home run and a walk as the Sooners (29-1, 7-0 Big 12) continued their unbeaten start to conference play with the win over Baylor (17-9, 1-6 Big 12).

Kelly Maxwell spun a gem in the circle, improving to 9-0 on the season with 5.1 innings of one-run ball. The left-hander struck out four while scattering three hits and a walk, improving her conference numbers to 3-0 with a 0.38 ERA.

Cowgirls take BYU series with big win

PROVO, Utah – Tallen Edwards went 3-for-4 with two doubles and a career-high five RBIs to push the Oklahoma State softball team to a 10-2 run-rule victory over BYU at Gail Miller Field Sunday.

OSU returns to action when it hosts Missouri State at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Cowgirl Stadium in advance of a pivotal three-game weekend series against Texas, which will also be played in Stillwater.

The Cowgirls improved to 26-5 overall and 7-2 in the Big 12. BYU fell to 17-12 overall and 2-7 in the league. The victory gave OSU its third Big 12 series victory in as many tries this season.

An RBI single from Karli Godwin and a two-run home run from Caroline Wang staked the Cowgirls to a 3-0 lead in the first inning. The Cougars got one run back in the second, but Edwards produced a run-scoring fielder’s choice in the third and a three-RBI double in the fourth to extend OSU’s advantage to 7-1.

The Cowgirls brought the game into run-rule territory in the sixth inning, thanks to an RBI single from Edwards, a sacrifice fly from Godwin and an RBI ground-out from Claire Timm.

Ivy Rosenberry started the game in the circle for the Cowgirls and improved to 8-1 on the year by allowing only two runs in four innings pitched. Lexi Kilfoyl entered the game in the fifth and pitched two innings to close out the victory. Gianna Mares (4-6) took the loss for BYU after yielding six runs – all earned – in 3 2/3 innings.

Friday’s game went to the host Cougars even though the Cowgirls hit four home runs, but a pair of early grand slams from BYU were too much to overcome as the Cougars were 11-8 winners.

The Cowgirls and Cougars traded runs in their respective halves of the second inning before Rosie Davis homered in the third to trim OSU’s deficit to 5-2. BYU responded with a pair of home runs in the bottom of the third – a solo shot from Ailana Agbayani and a grand slam from Hailey Morrow – that extended the Cougars’ advantage to 10-2.

The Cowgirls fought back in the fourth with back-to-back home runs from Megan Bloodworth and Taylor Anderson to make the score 10-5. Bloodworth’s was a two-run shot and Anderson’s marked the first of her career in her first OSU start.

In Thursday’s series opener, Lexi Kilfoyl struck out eight and threw a complete game in leading the Cowgirls to a 3-2 victory.

A two-run home run from Karli Godwin – her seventh of the season – opened the scoring.

A run-scoring fielder’s choice from Haidyn Sokoloski in the fourth extended the OSU lead to 3-0, but BYU answered in the bottom of the fourth when Lily Owens stole home on a first-and-third situation when Huntyr Ava drew a throw to give Owens the opening she needed to dash home.

A sacrifice fly from Ava in the sixth brought the Cougars to within one, but Kilfoyl retired four of BYU’s final five batters to secure the win and improve to 11-2 on the season. Gianna Mares took the loss for the Cougars to slip to 4-5 on the year.