OU softball beats Texas for Big 12 Tournament title, makes case for top NCAA seed

OU coach Patty Gasso insists she isn’t too concerned about national seeding — as long as her team is at least near the top.

But the No. 4-ranked Sooners made a strong final case to be the No. 1 overall seed Saturday, beating top-ranked and top-seeded Texas 5-1 to win the Big 12 Tournament at Devon Park.

“I think it’s already written right now,” Gasso said. “I don’t know. We played really well and so hopefully people saw it and if it gets us No. 1, great. It really doesn’t matter right now. I mean, if we’re in the top three or four, I think we’re happy with that.”

The 64-team NCAA Tournament field will be announced beginning at 6 p.m. Sunday night (ESPN2).

The Sooners (49-6) have been the top overall seed in each of the last four NCAA tournaments.

But this season, OU looked like it might be headed toward a lower seed.

The Sooners blasted through Kansas, BYU and Texas, though, outscoring them by a combined 28-4 to roll through the Big 12 Tournament and put themselves in excellent position to earn the top spot.

Regardless, the Sooners will host both regionals and super regionals (should they advance) at Love’s Field over the next two weekends.

Texas (47-7) figures to be the Sooners’ top competition, with Tennessee, LSU and Duke also with an opportunity.

Neither Tennessee nor LSU made the SEC Tournament final, while Duke won the ACC title on Saturday.

The Longhorns had run-rules in seven consecutive games coming in, not playing more than five innings since April 26. During that span, Texas outscored opponents 94-15.

Texas had won 18 consecutive games, with their last loss coming April 5 to the Sooners in Austin before the Longhorns won back-to-back games over OU to become the first Big 12 team to beat the Sooners in a three-game series.

But Texas had all it could handle Saturday, as the Sooners scored two in the first on RBIs by Tiare Jennings and Kinzie Hansen, responded to a second-inning Texas run with two more in the third on an RBI single by Alyssa Brito and an RBI double by Hansen, then added another run in the fourth.

The Sooners have won four consecutive games since dropping their first two to Oklahoma State last weekend.

“It’s just been a reset,” Jennings said. “You know, you learn, and it’s cool to see that this is not even our peak. We’re just heading in the right direction, so it’s cool to see that we have just so much more to work on still, and how much we can get better. But definitely a turnaround, just busting our butts throughout the week, grinding, releasing all that pressure, and just playing free.”

Here are four more takeaways from the win:

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Kelly Maxwell looks like an ace

After a rough weekend in Bedlam to close the regular season, Kelly Maxwell entered the Big 12 Tournament with something to prove.

Maxwell did that Saturday, allowing just one run and two hits and striking out seven in 5 1/3 innings to improve to 18-2.

“Masterful,” Gasso said. “So good, so in control, so focused. Pretty elite, against a team that hits the way Texas does. That was an elite, elite performance.”

Maxwell was pulled after one out in the sixth, earning a large standing ovation from the pro-OU crowd.

The graduate transfer from Oklahoma State kept the Longhorns off balance throughout, showing them, a different look than she did in two appearances in Austin during the regular season.

“I don’t know how many times they’ve seen me,” Maxwell said. “Just being able to change up my speeds and change up my look is why I had success today.”

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Tiare Jennings reaches milestone

OU shortstop Tiare Jennings ripped an RBI double off the wall in right-center field in the first inning to put the Sooners up 1-0 early.

The hit was the 300th of Jennings’ career, making her the fourth OU player to reach the milestone, joining Jocelyn Alo (343), Norrelle Dickson (328) and Sydney Romero (320).

Jennings still needs three home runs to tie former Sooners’ star Lauren Chamberlain for third on the NCAA career home run list with 95 and needs two RBIs to tie Sierra Romero for fifth on the NCAA’s all-time list.

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Jayda Coleman makes big-time 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 Maxwell in favor of Nicole May.

May retired Katie Stewart on a foul pop, and then struck out Joley Mitchell to end the threat.

May then finished things off in the seventh to clinch the win.

"The two of them together were absolute boss ladies tonight," Gasso said of May and Maxwell. "It was cool to watch."

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Freshman Ella Parker keeps raking

Ella Parker was right in the middle of OUs scoring in the first and third innings, with singles that helped get the innings rolling.

Parker was excellent throughout the tournament, going 7 for 10 with five RBIs and six runs scored, two doubles and a home run.

Parker was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.

“I’m not surprised,” Jennings said of Parker’s success. “I’ve watched this one growing up. She played with my sister when they were about 8 years old. So it’s a full-circle moment. I knew she was gonna thrive when she first committed here and when she got here and it’s no surprise to me. But she definitely makes me better and I think we like to just push each other.”

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU softball beats Texas for Big 12 title, makes case for top NCAA seed