OU softball vs Texas recap: Sooners shut down Longhorns to capture Big 12 Tournament title
Coach Patty Gasso and the No. 4-ranked OU softball team will look to win yet another Big 12 Tournament championship and potentially secure a No. 1 overall seed with a win over top-ranked Texas on Saturday night at Devon Park in Oklahoma City.
Here's what you need to know:
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Final: Sooners beat Texas, 5-1
Nicole May worked her way through the seventh to give the Sooners their second consecutive Big 12 Tournament title.
May struck out Kayden Henry, got Leighann Goode looking on the outside corner, then got Bella Dayton to fly out on the infield to win it.
More: OU softball vs Texas recap: Sooners shut down Longhorns to capture Big 12 Tournament title
Mid-7: Sooners on brink of another Big 12 title
Cydney Sanders led off the top of the seventh with a double, but the Sooners couldn't break through from there, as OU's lead remains 5-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh.
The Longhorns will send Kayden Henry, Leighann Goode and Bella Dayton to the plate in the bottom half.
End 6: Jayda Coleman delivers highlight catch
Jayda Coleman has made a habit of making big-time catches at Devon Park.
She did it again in the sixth inning Saturday.
With runners on first and second with no outs, Texas star Reese Atwood gave one a ride to deep center.
Coleman broke in initially before retreating, then leapt to snag Atwood's drive and send the runners scrambling back to their bases.
After Coleman's catch, Sooners coach Patty Gasso lifted starting pitcher Kelly Maxwell in favor of Nicole May. May retired back-to-back hitters to end the threat and keep the Sooners in firm control.
Mid-6: Citlaly Gutierrez continues to keep OU's hitters guessing
Texas starter Citlaly Gutierrez struck out multiple Sooners in an inning for the third time Saturday, striking out Kasidi Pickering and Alynah Torres to end the sixth and maintain OU's 5-1 lead.
Gutierrez has 10 strikeouts.
End 5: Kelly Maxwell with seven strikeouts
After a leadoff walk in the fifth, Kelly Maxwell struck out Leighann Goode and Bella Dayton for her sixth and seventh strikeouts of the game.
Maxwell has allowed just two hits and two walks in five innings.
Mid-5: Sooners go down in order
OU couldn't get anything going in the fifth off Citlaly Gutierrez, who retired Ella Parker, Tiare Jennings and Alyssa Brito in order to keep the Sooners' lead at 5-1.
End 4: Kelly Maxwell works another quick inning
OU starter Kelly Maxwell needed just seven pitches to work a 1-2-3 fourth and has thrown just 54 pitches through four innings.
The Sooners lead Texas 5-1.
Mid-4: Rylie Boone stretches Sooners lead
Rylie Boone delivered a two-out single into center to score Alynah Torres after Torres reached second on an error and advanced to third on a wild pitch.
The Longhorns have two errors.
End 3: Kelly Maxwell keeps rolling
Kelly Maxwell struck out a pair in the third to send the Longhorns down and maintain OU's 4-1 lead.
Maxwell has struck out five and walked one with two hits in three innings.
Mid-3: Alyssa Brito helps Sooners regain, then stretch
Alyssa Brito delivered an RBI single to right to drive in Ella Parker and give the Sooners a 3-1 lead on Texas.
Parker had a one-out single — her second hit of the game — and then moved to second on a wild pitch before scoring on Brito's two-out hit.
Brito came around to score on Kinzie Hansen's double.
Hansen tried to stretch it to a triple but was cut down at the base, but not before Brito had crossed home plate to give OU a 4-1 lead.
End 2: Texas breaks through to cut into OU lead
Kayden Henry ripped an RBI triple into the right-center field gap, a fast roller that stayed on the ground, to put the Longhorns on the board in the second.
Henry's triple came immediately after Joley Mitchell drew a two-out walk.
Mitchell hesitated as the ball went through the infield, giving the Sooners a chance to make a play at the plate, but Mitchell recovered and just beat the throw.
Mid-2: Citlaly Gutierrez settles down in second
Texas starter Citlaly Gutierrez settled in after a rough first, retiring the Sooners in order in the second.
She struck out Alynah Torres and Cydney Sanders before getting Rylie Boone to ground out to end the inning.
End 1: Kelly Maxwell works quick 1-2-3 first
OU starter Kelly Maxwell made quick work of the Longhorns in the bottom of the first to preserve the Sooners' 2-0 lead.
Maxwell needed just eight pitches to retire the side, setting the tone by getting Ashton Maloney to ground out to short on the first pitch of the bottom half.
Texas had scored nine first-inning runs in its first two games in the tournament.
Mid-1: Tiare Jennings reaches milestone as Sooners grab lead
Tiare Jennings ripped an RBI double off the wall in right-center to drive in Jayda Coleman and give the Sooners an early 1-0 lead.
The hit was Jennings' 300th of her career, making her the fourth player in OU history to reach the milestone, joining Jocelyn Alo (343), Norrell Dickson (328) and Sydney Romero (320).
The Sooners later added another run on Kinzie Hansen's RBI fielder's choice to drive in Ella Parker.
Pregame: Kelly Maxwell starting for Sooners
Kelly Maxwell will get the start for OU in the Big 12 title game vs. Texas.
Maxwell (17-2, 1.99 ERA) started two games against the Longhorns in Austin, allowing four earned runs in 11 2/3 innings and going 1-1.
Citlaly Gutierrez (10-0, 1.44) will start for Texas.
OU softball highlights vs. Texas
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What time does OU softball vs. Texas start?
Date: Saturday, May 11
Time: 6:30 p.m. CT
Where: Devon Park, Oklahoma City
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What channel is OU softball vs. Texas on today?
TV: ESPN2
How to watch online: Watch ESPN (here's how to stream it live)
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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma softball shuts down Texas to capture Big 12 Tournament title
