OU softball sweeps doubleheader, series at Baylor to extend win streak to 34 games
OU softball sweeps doubleheader, series at Baylor
Say this for the OU softball program, coach Patty Gasso knows what her team is all about.
Heading into this weekend's trip to Baylor, the top-ranked Sooners had a goal in mind — avenge their lone loss of the season, a nonconference game against the Bears.
Consider that taken care of.
OU wrapped up a series sweep of the 16th-ranked Bears, winning 4-0 and 2-0 in a doubleheader Saturday at Getterman Stadium in Waco, Texas.
“The attitude we have is we take pride in the idea of never letting anybody beat us twice,” Gasso said earlier in the week.
The Sooners (42-1, 12-0 Big 12) outscored the Bears 13-0 in the three games.
In the opener, Alex Storako allowed only four hits in 6 1/3 innings pitched to improve to 14-0 on the season. Jordy Bahl picked up the final two outs for her second save.
Cydney Sanders went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI in the 4-0 win.
In the nightcap, Tiare Jennings and Alyssa Brito each hit solo home runs for the Sooners, who got seven shutout innings from Nicole May (13-0).
Up next for OU is a quick trip to Wichita State on Tuesday before another road game Wednesday at Tulsa.
Baylor, which beat OU 4-3 on Feb. 19, fell to 34-13 overall and 4-8 in league play.
More: OU football report card: Peyton Bowen, defensive newcomers shine in Sooners' spring game
OU baseball wins second straight at Texas
Once again, the Texas Longhorns stumbled on a Saturday.
In a 9-6 loss to Oklahoma on Saturday afternoon, No. 14 Texas fell into an early hole and was unable to rally past its Red River rival. The three-run triumph secured a series win for Oklahoma, which entered the weekend as the Big 12's last-place team. Texas (27-14, 8-6) had not dropped a conference series this season.
Dating back to the 2022 Big 12 championship game, Texas has now lost three straight games to the Sooners. Oklahoma (21-19, 6-8) earned a 2-1 win in the opening game of this season's series on Friday night.
Heading into this weekend, how Texas was faring on Saturdays was already a concern. Texas was 1-3 in the Big 12 games it had played on Saturday, and the Longhorns had posted a 6.49 ERA in the second games of its conference series. Last week, Charlie Hurley became the third pitcher to start for Texas on a Saturday this week. He didn't make it out of the first inning of a 10-9 loss at Baylor.
That troubling trend wasn't just noted by media members and fans. When sharing why he planned on starting Hurley instead of Travis Sthele last week, Texas coach David Pierce replied that "we haven't been as good as far as wins and losses when (Travis) started."
This Saturday, Texas went back to Sthele as its No. 2 starter as it attempted to tie up its series with Oklahoma. After Sthele made two nice defensive plays in the first inning, things unraveled quickly during the second session.
To lead off the second inning, Travis Sthele walked the bases full. Pierce pulled Sthele, but reliever Zane Morehouse also struggled. Morehouse, who opened the season as UT's Saturday starter, allowed runs to score on a wild pitch, a single, a fielder's choice grounder and a sacrifice fly. As it took its 5-0 lead, Oklahoma also scooted home on a passed ball by Texas catcher Garret Guillemette.
Oklahoma added three more runs in the third inning. Of the runners who scored as the Sooners built their 8-0 lead, seven reached base by either walking or getting hit by a pitch. Oklahoma tagged Sthele and Morehouse for all those runs.
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Atwood lifts Texas to dramatic softball win over OSU
With one swing in the game’s last at-bat, Texas freshman sensation Reese Atwood erased almost seven innings of frustration while lifting the Longhorns to a dramatic 3-2 win over Oklahoma State.
Atwood, a catcher from Tuloso-Midway High School outside of Corpus Christi, launched a three-run homer with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning to cap a stunning and swift rally.
Such drama has become a habit for Atwood, who has three consecutive walk-off hits for the Longhorns, including the winning single in Texas’ 1-0 victory over Oklahoma State in the opener of the three-game series Friday.
Atwood has been a stalwart behind the plate all season for No. 7 Texas (38-7-1, 10-4 Big 12) while starting 44 of 46 games. She entered the second game Saturday hitting .311 with 37 RBIs and a team-high 10 home runs. Her 10th homer might have been the most unlikely hit of the season, considering how Oklahoma State ace Kelly Maxwell handcuffed the Horns for six innings.
Texas didn’t have a hit until Mia Scott banged a single into center field to lead off the bottom of the seventh inning with No. 3 Oklahoma State (39-7, 8-3) leading 2-0. Leighann Goode followed with a one-out single that moved Scott to third base, setting up Atwood’s heroics.
More: Reese Atwood lifts Texas to dramatic softball win over Oklahoma State
Gooch takes 10-shot lead into final round of LIV Australia
Midwest City native Talor Gooch continued his bogey-free run at the inaugural LIV Australia tournament and shot his second consecutive 10-under 62 to increase his lead to 10 strokes after two rounds at the Grange Golf Club. Gooch had a 36-hole total of 124 going into Sunday’s final round. He led by four strokes after the opening round. As tournament leader the 31-year-old American began his round on the first hole in the shotgun-start format and posted four birdies in five holes from the ninth hole. He birdied his final hole at the Grange to take his lead into double digits. There was a six-way tie for second including Brooks Koepka, who shot 65.
More: No. 14 Texas loses series as Oklahoma scores eight early runs in a Big 12 baseball contest
Extra points
OKC DODGERS: Brenton Doyle led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a home run, sending the Albuquerque Isotopes to a 4-3 walk-off win over Oklahoma City Friday night at Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park. The Dodgers (13-6) fell behind early and trailed, 2-0, after three innings before scoring three runs in the fourth. Bradley Zimmer tied the game with a RBI single, and Michael Busch put the Dodgers in front after he drew a bases-loaded walk. The Isotopes (11-8) tied the game in the seventh inning. Dodgers went down 1-2-3 in top of the ninth inning, setting the stage for Doyle’s home run.
NBA: Kevin Durant scored 31 points, Devin Booker added 30 and the Phoenix Suns defeated the Los Angeles Clippers without Kawhi Leonard 112-100 to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the first-round playoff series. ... Tobias Harris had 25 points and 12 rebounds, and the Philadelphia 76ers overcame the absence of Joel Embiid to beat the Brooklyn Nets 96-88.
—Staff and wire reports
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU softball sweeps series at Baylor to extend win streak to 34 games
