How will OU softball respond to first Bedlam series loss since 1997? 'Need to punch back'

NORMAN — OU softball coach Patty Gasso insists it’s no time to panic.

But after Saturday’s 6-2 loss to Oklahoma State in Love’s Field, the Sooners’ second consecutive loss to their Bedlam rival and their sixth loss of the season, the sense of urgency is clearly ramped up.

“We’re just not playing complete games,” Gasso said. “We get out early and then we just don’t — there’s places in the game where the pitchers are very, very good and then it’ll collapse. Our defense can do the same at times. Our offense is going the same. There’s shining lights and then it just fades and we’re just not playing complete games. We’ve got to clean it up.”

Time to do that is drawing to an end, though, as the regular season concludes with Sunday’s 3 p.m. series finale.

Yet Gasso remains confident it will happen.

“You’ll never see this team quit,” Gasso said. “... Sometimes it just takes time and when it breaks open, it’s going to flood. I mean we are going to go off on that. But right now we’re just in that space and we’re facing good pitching.”

In the first two games of the series, the Sooners have left 16 runners on base.

“I think just trusting each other,” Alynah Torres said of the belief that the bats would ignite once again. “I think we put the work in. I don’t think it’s anything physical with us. I think it’s just all mental and when it opens, it’s physical. But I just think we need to grind. We need to punch back. I feel like we need to start just passing the bat and not putting too much pressure on each other.”

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The Sooners are just 8 of 51 (.157) at the plate in the series, and just 3 of 26 (.115) with runners on base, including 1 of 12 Saturday.

“Just remember who we are,” Brito said of how OU can turn things around at the plate.. “I’ll keep it short.”

The fade happened quickly Saturday.

The Sooners (45-6, 21-5 Big 12) took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the fifth and Gasso elected to stick with Nicole May, who had been excellent to that point.

But Claire Timm blasted a homer to right on the first pitch of the sixth to tie it and then Micaela Wark made it back-to-back homers, driving May from the game.

Three batters later, Kelly Maxwell gave up a three-run homer to Jilyen Poullard to make it 6-2.

“It’s not just on the pitchers. It’s not just on the hitters,” Gasso said. “We’re all taking accountability.”

The loss was OU’s first home series loss since 2006 and their first home series loss to the Cowgirls since 1993.

Here are two other takeaways from the Sooners’ win:

More: How did Karli Godwin power Oklahoma State softball to Bedlam win? 'This kid is special'

Big 12 race coming down to the wire

OSU kept its hopes for a Big 12 title alive with the win.

The Cowgirls (44-8, 21-5 Big 12) moved into a tie with the Sooners for second place in the league, one game behind Texas.

If OSU wins Sunday’s series finale and Texas loses at Texas Tech, OSU would be the No. 1 seed in next week’s Big 12 Tournament.

The loss brings OU to the brink of being eliminated in the Big 12 race after winning the last 11 regular-season conference titles.

The Sooners need a win and a Texas loss to earn a share of the title, though the Longhorns would be the No. 1 seed in the tournament.

With a loss Sunday, OU would be the No. 3 seed in the tournament.

More: What went wrong for OU in Bedlam softball opener? Start with Sooners' silent bats

Karlie Keeney excels for second consecutive day

One of the few bright spots for the Sooners was Karlie Keeney’s performance in the seventh, where she worked around her own throwing error to retire the side.

Keeney has thrown 3 ⅓ scoreless innings in the series.

“I love what Karlie Keeney has been doing,” Gasso said. “She comes in and she just brings a different kind of energy.”

Keeney lowered her ERA to 1.59.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU softball falls again vs OSU, loses first home series since 2006