Texas softball shuts down No. 1 Oklahoma to take their critical Big 12 series victory
The Longhorns have awaited a long time to celebrate a Red River Rivalry softball series victory.
Fifteen years, to be exact.
That’s why Texas pitcher Estelle Czech waved her arms and jumped as the final out was recorded in No. 5 Texas’ 2-1 upset of No. 1 Oklahoma on Sunday at McCombs Field to clinch the huge Big 12 series.
Texas (31-6, 11-4) snapped its own skid against OU (35-3, 13-2) while also ending a remarkable record for the Sooners. OU hadn't lost a Big 12 regular-season series since 2011. OU had also not lost back-to-back games since 2020.
Again, Texas had to play nearly flawlessly like it did in Saturday’s win.
OU jumped to a 1-0 lead on a solo homer by Ella Parker in the third. But then the combination of freshman Teagan Kavan and Czech shut down the Sooners, who stranded eight batters and were 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.
That put added pressure on Sooners ace Kelly Maxwell to be perfect. And two mistakes cost her.
She hit Viviana Martinez with two outs in the fourth. Three pitches later, Katie Stewart blasted Maxwell’s pitch over the left-field fence. OU’s offense was silent the rest of the way, mustering just two hits in the final three innings.
Now, Texas has life in the Big 12 title chase. The Longhorns sit in third place behind the Sooners and Oklahoma State, trailing OU by two games and OSU by one.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas softball beats Oklahoma 2-1 to take their critical Big 12 series
