OU softball holds off Texas in Red River opener as Jayda Coleman, Kelly Maxwell shine

AUSTIN, Texas — It wasn’t pretty in the end, but Kelly Maxwell got the job done.

OU’s ace took a no-hitter into the fifth and had walked just one heading into the seventh before running into some trouble in the final inning, ultimately finishing off the top-ranked Sooners' 5-2 win over No. 4 Texas on Friday at Red and Charline McCombs Field.

OU has won 17 consecutive games and stretched its Big 12 regular-season winning streak to 40.

Maxwell (11-0) tied her season high with 10 strikeouts and allowed just three hits and three walks in the complete-game.

“Just in complete control,” Sooners coach Patty Gasso said. “Her stuff was working really well. Stayed way ahead of counts. Really proud of that.”

Five of Maxwell’s strikeouts came on 3-2 counts.

More: How OU men's gymnastics is aiming to take down reigning champion Stanford for MPSF title

“She was great at wiggling out of could-have-been-different things and was really stingy at giving up hits,” Longhorns coach Mike White said. “She’s no different than what she was last year. She’s very tough. There’s a reason why Oklahoma picked her up.”

Maxwell cruised into the seventh before hitting a bit of a wall, allowing two hits and walking two to bring the potential game-tying run to the plate with two outs.

Katie Stewart worked Maxwell to a full count before Tiare Jennings fielded a grounder that bounced off Alyssa Brito’s glove at third and threw out a diving Stewart at first to end the game.

“I’m really proud of Tiare because everybody else compares her to a former shortstop that was really good at OU last year (Grace Lyons),” Gasso said. “Tiare is different in a wonderful way, as well, and she makes big plays.”

In her previous start, last Thursday at Kansas, Maxwell took a no-hitter into the final inning, striking out the first two batters before surrendering a home run in OU’s eventual 6-1 win.

The Sooners (35-1, 13-0 Big 12) and Longhorns continued the series Saturday night.

“I would say it’s probably one of the loudest I’ve ever heard,” Maxwell said of the atmosphere. “They were really loud, and it was kind of hard to get through that but I’m grateful my defense was behind me.”

Here are three more takeaways from the Sooners’ victory:

More: OU football backup QB Jacob Switzer, grandson of Barry Switzer, enters transfer portal

Jayda Coleman’s hot streak continues

Last week in the series at Kansas, Jayda Coleman got the Sooners going consistently, hitting one lead-off home run and coming around to score eventually in the other two games after leading off with a single.

Coleman didn’t get anything going with her first-inning at-bat Friday, grounding to short, but then came alive.

Coleman got the Sooners going with an RBI single in the third to drive in the game’s first run, then blasted a towering three-run homer over the right-field fence in the fifth to put OU ahead 5-0.

Coleman has homered in three consecutive games and extended her hitting streak to six games.

During the streak, Coleman is 11 for 17 with 10 RBIs, 13 runs and five home runs.

More: Former OU football standout Caleb Kelly stars in pro wrestling docuseries 'WWE: Next Gen'

Sooners charged with runner leaving early

In the top of the third, Rylie Boone looked like she’d delivered an RBI single to right for the first run of the game.

But Texas coach Mike White immediately came out to ask for a review.

Kinzie Hansen, who wound up on third after Boone’s hit, was ruled to have left early, wiping out not only the run but Boone’s hit.

Hansen was called out and Boone soon delivered another single, this one of the infield variety, but didn’t get a run home.

Coleman followed with an RBI single to left before Alyssa Brito scored Boone on a sacrifice fly,

It wasn’t the only time the rules got a workout.

In the bottom of the first, Texas leadoff hitter Kayden Henry checked her swing on an 0-2 pitch in the dirt.

Hansen didn’t wait for the call from the third-base umpire, firing it down to first.

But after the umpire ruled no swing, White argued that the Sooners should be charged with a pitch-clock violation.

Home plate umpire Mike Burwell initially agreed with White, signaling a 2-2 count, before conferring with the rest of his crew. Eventually, they ruled against charging OU with the violation and the count reverted to 1-2.

Hansen was at the center of another review in the fifth when her hit down the left-field line was initially called fair, which would’ve given the Sooners runners on second and third.

But after a review, the ball was ruled foul and Hansen ultimately grounded into a fielder’s choice.

Kinzie Hansen returns

Hansen made her first start behind the plate since March 15, returning from a knee injury.

Hansen finished 1 for 3 with a run.

“She was really good,” Gasso said. “I was proud of her. She handled some tough pitches really well, kept things in front of her. It’s nice to have her back.”

More: Oklahoma softball: Kinzie Hansen 'ready to go' for Sooners' series vs Texas

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma softball beats Texas as Jayda Coleman, Kelly Maxwell shine