Through four innings on Saturday, [autotag]Jordy Bahl[/autotag] and Hailey Dolcini were putting on a repeat performance of the Thursday night opener of the Red River series in Austin. In that matchup, Bahl and the Oklahoma Sooners came out on top in the 3-0 win over the Texas Longhorns. On Saturday, however, it was Dolcini and the Longhorns who would come away with the win.
The Longhorns hold the distinction of handing the Sooners their first loss of the season and ending a 40-game winning streak dating back to the championship of the 2021 College Softball World Series. Oklahoma started the season 38-0, a new record, and are now 38-1 after a tough loss to Texas.
Dolcini carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning, keeping Oklahoma’s stout offense off-balance all afternoon. In the seventh, after getting the first out of the game, [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] broke up the no-hitter with a single. It was the third time she’d reach base on the day after getting hit by a pitch twice in the close matchup.
After Coleman got on to attempt a late rally, [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag] drove her in with her seventh home run of the season to make the game 4-2. And that’s where it would stay as Dolcini closed it out to give Oklahoma their only blemish on the season.
Though she picked up the first loss of her Sooners career, Jordy Bahl pitched well and battled through some tough spots. She had nine strikeouts and three walks, and allowed three earned runs in the matchup. It was the first time in 21 games that Oklahoma’s pitching staff had allowed more than one run in a game.
Oklahoma’s top of the order of Tiare Jennings, Jocelyn Alo, and Grace Lyons were a combined 0-9 in the game and 3 for 28 in the series. While the Oklahoma Sooners boast a deep lineup, they have to get more from their top three hitters as they move forward.
Head Coach Patty Gasso spoke after the loss. “To be realistic, we weren’t going to go undefeated through the season. It was just a matter of time,” Gasso told SoonerSports.com. “We got outplayed, and that’s exactly why we have our first loss. They earned it. They played well, their pitcher was fantastic and they did everything right. That’s what it came down too. We take this back to Norman and we refine and we get better. That’s what you do with losses.”
It was improbable that the Oklahoma Sooners were going to go undefeated. There are too many good teams in college softball and all it takes is an opposing pitcher to get hot to take you out of the game. And that’s what happened here. Hailey Dolcini pitched a near-perfect game and the Longhorns took advantage of some miscues by the Oklahoma Sooners defense.
But that shouldn’t take away from the tremendous run they’ve been on this season or dampen expectations either. This is a learning opportunity for Patty Gasso’s crew and they’ll be up for the challenges they’ll face as the season progresses.
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