Tag: Alynah Torres

Sooners open series with 8-0 run-rule win over the Houston Cougars

The Oklahoma Sooners got off to a hot start in their series opener against the Houston Cougars, and Kelly Maxwell pitched another gem to lead Oklahoma to an 8-0 run-rule win in walk-off fashion. Taking on a Houston team that has the second-lowest …

The Oklahoma Sooners got off to a hot start in their series opener against the Houston Cougars, and [autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag] pitched another gem to lead Oklahoma to an 8-0 run-rule win in walk-off fashion.

Taking on a Houston team that has the second-lowest batting average and the highest ERA in Big 12 play, the Sooners struck early.

Maxwell recorded a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the first, and the Sooners’ offense quickly went to work in the bottom half of the inning.

[autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] walked to lead off the game and moved to third on a two-out single by [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag]. [autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag] put OU on the board first with a three-run home run. It was Torres’ eighth home run of the season and part of a 2-for-2 evening with four RBIs and two runs scored.

Oklahoma had opportunities with runners on in the second but were unable to capitalize. The Sooners put pressure on Houston again in the third with the bases loaded and nobody out. All they could muster was one run on a fielder’s choice from [autotag]Cydney Sanders[/autotag] to make it 4-0.

[autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] led off the fourth with a walk and moved to third on Hansen’s base hit. Torres picked up her fourth RBI of the game on a grounder to the pitcher, scoring Jennings from third to make it 5-0. After a fielder’s choice put Hansen on third, the Sooners’ star catcher stole home to make it 6-0 and put the Sooners in complete control.

With the way Maxwell was pitching, Houston had little hope at that point. She threw five innings, allowing two hits and three walks, and recorded five strikeouts. Maxwell didn’t allow a runner past second base in a performance that helped the Sooners ace move to 14-1 on the season. The Sooners defense picked her up with double plays in the second and third innings.

Not satisfied, the Sooners continued to pour the offense on in the sixth inning. Kinzie Hansen led off with a single and advanced to third on Avery Hodge’s single to centerfield. [autotag]Quincee Lilio[/autotag] walked to load the bases, and Sanders walked for the 34th time in 2024 to drive in a run and make it 7-0 Sooners. With two outs in the inning and the Cougars hoping to play all seven, [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] walked it off with a RBI single to secure the Sooners win.

After her 10-game hitting streak was snapped against Tulsa, Kinzie Hansen responded with a 3-for-4 night to help lead the way at the plate. Coleman, Jennings, Torres, and [autotag]Riley Ludlam[/autotag] each had two hits on the night. Along with Hansen, Jennings and Coleman also reached base three times, each earning a walk to go along with their two-hit nights.

With the victory, Oklahoma improved to 40-4 on the season and 16-3 in Big 12 play. They remain one game ahead of the Texas Longhorns and two games ahead of Oklahoma State in the Big 12 regular season title race.

The Sooners are back in action for game two of the series on Saturday night at 6 p.m. CT. Oklahoma will close the series with Houston on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT. Both games can be seen on ESPN+.

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Texas Longhorns beat Oklahoma Sooners 2-1 on controversial call

Oklahoma lost their second game of the season as this one comes after a controversial late call.

The Oklahoma Sooners took on the Texas Longhorns in Game 2 of their three-game series on Saturday.

[autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] singled to start the game but was forced out on a ground ball by [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag]. [autotag]Kasidi Pickering[/autotag] doubled off the wall to put runners at second and third. [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] drove home Brito to give the Sooners a 1-0 lead in the first.

[autotag]Nicole May[/autotag] started in the circle for the Sooners. She walked one but was otherwise clean in the bottom of the first inning.

Texas threatened in the second inning, putting a runner on second. Oklahoma’s [autotag]Rylie Boone[/autotag] made a great catch in the outfield to keep the Longhorns scoreless.

Texas took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth. Texas ran itself out of a bigger inning when a runner left base early and was called out on a pitch that was hit off the wall.

The Sooners had an opportunity in the seventh. Texas outfielder Kayden Henry made a fantastic catch on an Alynah Torres liner for the first out. Cydney Sanders grounded out to third for the second out, but Kinzie Hanse gave the Sooners hope with a single.

With two outs, Boone launched a ball over Henry.

Maya Bland, running for Hansen, received the green light from Patty Gasso to try to score, but she was tagged out at the plate. Initially, it looked as if Reese Atwood obstructed her path to the plate. Upon review, it was determined the errant throw created the obstructed path. As a result, the call stood. Bland was out, and Texas won 2-1.

May threw 4 2/3 innings and allowed two runs on five hits and a walk while striking out six.

Game 3 of the series takes place Sunday at 1 p.m. CT on ESPN+ and the Longhorn Network.

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‘Jayda leads the way’: Patty Gasso on her team taking it to another level

Speaking of her team’s performance of late, Sooners head coach Patty Gasso said, “Jayda leads the way.”

It seems like every single week, we are talking about a different player having a huge series for the Oklahoma Sooners. Over the last four weeks [autotag]Cydney Sanders[/autotag], [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag], [autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag], and [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] were named Big 12 Player of the Week. Jennings and Coleman also won NFCA National Player of the Week for their efforts.

Last weekend, Coleman put on a show. The Sooners centerfielder, had six hits in seven at-bats in the three games for an .857 batting average. Coleman had three home runs, six RBIs, seven walks, and eight runs scored. She now leads the Sooners with a .466 batting average, walks with 30, and giving her an on-base percentage at .589.

Patty Gasso spoke about how well Coleman is playing of late. “I feel like the bigness of the season is starting to show up right now,” Gasso said. “They get that. So, they want to be at their best. All of them do. Jayda leads the way. She’s a good leader by example and play. Tiare (Jennings) is really swinging really well. (Alyssa) Brito always is swinging really well. It was just very timely and very clutch. That’s what you are going to have to have when you go to Texas.”

It helps that the Sooners have veterans like Coleman, Jennings, and Brito, because they come through in the big moments. Batting 1-2-3 in the Sooners order puts pressure on opposing pitchers right out of the gate. With the best leadoff hitter in the game coming on strong the last several weeks, the Sooners have gotten off to fast starts. And there’s no indication it’ll slow down anytime soon.

More: How to watch No. 1 Oklahoma vs. No. 4 Texas

More: By the Numbers: Oklahoma Sooners vs. Texas Longhorns

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Jayda Coleman wins NFCA, Big 12 Player of the Week awards

After an incredible weekend vs. Kansas, Jayda Coleman was named NFCA and Big 12 Player of the Week. It’s the Sooners fourth-straight Big 12 Player of the Week award.

The Oklahoma Sooners offense has settled in well in their 12-0 start to Big 12 play. After tinkering with the top of the order during nonconference, Patty Gasso has the best leadoff hitter in the game back at the top of the order and Jayda Coleman’s responded in a big way.

In the Sooners three-game sweep over Kansas, Coleman was incredible, hitting .857 with three home runs, four RBIs, eight runs scored, and seven walks. All while continuing to play Gold Glove-level centerfield for the Sooners.

It’s the fourth consecutive Big 12 Player of the Week award for the Sooners and the second NFCA Player of the Week award in the last month. Coleman’s conference award follows [autotag]Cydney Sanders[/autotag], [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] (also won NFCA Player of the Week), and [autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag] who have each had big weeks over the last month.

She’s been on a tear in Big 12 play, hitting .571 with 5 home runs and 10 RBIs.

Coleman now leads the Sooners with a .466 batting average, .589 on-base percentage, 45 runs, and 30 walks. This is her fourth career player of the week award. She’s up to eight home runs and 27 RBIs as she puts together another fantastic season.

The Sooners next go on the road to take on the Texas Longhorns this weekend in Austin.

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Oklahoma’s Alynah Torres wins Big 12 Player of the Week

The Oklahoma Sooners picked up their third consecutive Big 12 Player of the Week with Alynah Torres taking home the weekly honor.

It was another strong week for the Oklahoma Sooners, earning a midweek win over UT Arlington and a sweep of of the Baylor Bears in a top 25 matchup.

The Sooners erupted for 39 runs in the four games sparked by Alynah Torres, who had a huge week at the plate.

In the Wednesday matchup with the Mavericks, Torres hit two home runs in the same inning, a pair of two-run bombs to help lead Oklahoma to the run-rule win. Then over the weekend, Torres had a pair of home runs, including a grand slam. She finished the week batting .625 with four home runs, 10 RBIs and four runs scored.

For her efforts, Torres was named Big 12 Player of the Week. It’s the first Big 12 weekly award for Torres. Torres extends the run of Sooners who have won the weekly honor, following Cydney Sanders and Tiare Jennings.

According to SoonerSports.com, over her last 19 games, Torres is hitting .526 with six home runs, two doubles, and 17 RBIs.

Torres and the Oklahoma Sooners are back in action this weekend in a three-game series against the Kansas Jayhawks.

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No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners top Baylor Bears 8-1 in top 25 series opener

Kelly Maxwell had another outstanding performance and the Sooners erupted for seven runs in the 5th to beat Baylor 8-1.

What started out as a pitcher’s dual through the first four innings turned into another impressive win for the Oklahoma Sooners, who topped the Baylor Bears 8-1.

[autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag] and RyLee Crandall treated the 8,798 fans in attendance to a back and forth pitching matchup that lived up to pregame expectations. Both pitchers came into the contest with sub-1.50 ERAs and through four innings, it was as tight a ball game as you’d expect.

The Sooners got on the board first in the bottom of the second when [autotag]Rylie Boone[/autotag] beat out an infield single and a throwing error allowed [autotag]Cydney Sanders[/autotag] to score from first.

Though Maxwell was cooking, Baylor was able to manufacture the tying run in the top of rht fourth. Emily Hott led off with a bunt single and stole second base on a controversial 3-1 pitch that was called a strike. Hott then took third on a passed ball before scoring on a Abi Flores single. But that’s all the Bears could muster in the inning.

Oklahoma wasn’t able to answer in the bottom of the fourth despite getting a couple of Sooners on base. As she had done throughout the first half of the game, Crandall found a way out of another jam to keep the Sooners from taking advantage of a scoring situation.

Maxwell pitched a scoreless fifth and was rewarded for her strong outing as the Sooners exploded for seven runs in the fifth.

After becoming the all-time leader in doubles earlier in the game, Tiare Jennings put Oklahoma ahead for good with a two-run home run, her 11th of the season. But the Sooners weren’t done there.

With one out in the inning, [autotag]Ella Parker[/autotag] and [autotag]Kasidi Pickering[/autotag] earned back-to-back singles and then Cydney Sanders walked to load the bases. [autotag]Riley Ludlam[/autotag] earned an RBI with a walk of her own to make it 4-1. With the bases still loaded, [autotag]Patty Gasso[/autotag] went to her bench and brought in [autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag] who’s had a great week, hitting two home runs in the win over UT Arlington on Wednesday.

Torres took a 2-2 pitch and deposited it over the left field wall to put Oklahoma up 8-1.

Maxwell got the first out in the sixth before giving way to Peytn Monticelli, who closed it out allowing just one hit in 1.2 innings.

Maxwell, who was named NFCA and Big 12 Pitcher of the Week, moved to 9-0 on the season. She allowed one earned run on three hits and one walk while recording four strikeouts. She lowered her season ERA to 1.31. The fourth-inning run was the first Maxwell had allowed in her last 21 innings pitched, dating back to her 4-0 shutout win over Iowa State game.

Jennings, the reigning Big 12 Player of the Week continued her incredible run with a 3-for-3 evening with a home run, two RBIs, and a walk. She raised her batting average to .444, which is second on the Sooners in 2024 behind Rylie Boone, who had a 3-for-3 day with a double.

Jayda Coleman didn’t record a hit, but she recorded three walks in the win. Ella Parker, Cydney Sanders, and Riley Ludlam each reached base twice.

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‘She’s been waiting to have the offensive explosion’: Alynah Torres steals the show in Sooners win

The Sooners won big in their midweek game against UT Arlington in large part to the bat of Alynah Torres.

The Oklahoma Sooners put together a dominant showing in their midweek game against UT Arlington on Wednesday. The Sooners run-ruled the Mavs 12-1 in five innings.

It was in large part thanks to a big 2nd inning for the Sooners. They rattled off 10 runs to run away from the Mavericks. A big part of that was the bat of [autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag].

Torres hit a two-run shot to center field early in the inning to help the Sooners take a 2-1 lead. She then made it back around and ended the scoring for the inning with another two-run shot, this time to left field to put Oklahoma up 10-1.

Patty Gasso shared what she has seen from her senior utility player. “She’s been waiting to have the offensive explosion that she’s used to before she came here,” Gasso said. “It’s hard when you have a new hitting coach and you are learning new things and trying to feel what feels right. So, a lot of that, I think she’s peaking now like this is what she’s been waiting for. She’s absolutely crushing the ball but what I love about Alynah is she’s just clutch in so many different ways. Not just offensively but defensively, we put her in a lot of different places.”

Torres transferred to Oklahoma last season after spending her first three years at Arizona State. She had 37 home runs in those three seasons before only having two a season ago at Oklahoma. This year, she is hitting .400 with four home runs and 14 RBIs.

Torres talked about what she thinks the difference has been for her lately. “I’m just having fun with my teammates, honestly, and just keeping it really simple,” Torres said. “I’m not trying to critique everything I’m doing, just having fun and seeing ball, hit ball.”

Torres is another one of several Sooners starting to find their groove. Now, it’s up to them to keep it going as Oklahoma begins a three-game series with a top 25 Baylor team.

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Sooners catcher Kinzie Hansen ‘day-to-day’ with knee issue

Oklahoma Softball: Kinzie Hansen day-to-day with knee injury

The Oklahoma Sooners are off to a sensational start to Big 12 play, sitting at 6-0 with the Baylor Bears coming to town for a three-game set this weekend.

As OU prepares to host the only team to beat them in 2023, they may have to play without one of their captains, catcher [autotag]Kinzien Hansen[/autotag]. Patty Gasso said on Tuesday that Hansen is dealing with a knee issue.

“She’s got a little bit of a tweak in the knee that we don’t want to mess around with right now,” Gasso said Tuesday. “We’re just kind of playing it very cautiously. Riley Ludlam’s done a great job in that spot. So it’s just kind of day-to-day. She’s not out for the season or anything like that, we’re just kind of taking it day to day.”

Hansen has been fantastic in her final year with the Sooners, hitting .367 with seven home runs and 16 RBIs. Her work behind the plate defensively and with the pitching staff have also been critical to Oklahoma’s success.

In her only at bat last week, Hansen launched a solo home run in Friday’s game against Texas Tech in her first plate appearance. She didn’t play the rest of the weekend.

Taking her place in the ambiguous nature of day-to-day is [autotag]Riley Ludlam[/autotag]. Ludlam, who transferred from Furman last offseason is having a really good year with the Sooners. She’s hitting .385 with two home runs, 16 RBIs and has recorded 13 walks this season. Her on-base percentage of .528 is third on the Sooners behind [autotag]Cydney Sanders[/autotag] and [autotag]Ella Parker[/autotag].

Patty Gasso also revealed that in the even the Sooners need another catcher, [autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag] will work as the emergency backstop.

The Oklahoma Sooners will play UT Arlington on Wednesday before they begin their three-game series with Baylor on Friday night in Oklahoma City at Hall of Fame Stadium. The final two games of the series will take place at Love’s Field in Norman.

More: How to watch No. 1 Oklahoma vs. UT Arlington

More: 5 takeaways from Oklahoma’s sweep of Texas Tech

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Oklahoma Sooners beat Liberty Flames 15-3 behind 7 extra base hits

Behind seven extra base hits, the Oklahoma Sooners cruised to a 15-3 win over Liberty.

The Oklahoma Sooners bats came to life in a 15-3 throttling of the Liberty Flames to improve to 18-0 on the season. In the process, they extended their record win streak to 71 games.

[autotag]Nicole May[/autotag] got the start for the Sooners. After giving up three runs in the first inning to Miami (OH), May held the Red Hawks scoreless for the remainder of her outing. That continued against Liberty on Saturday as she threw three scoreless innings, allowing just one hit in the process.

The Sooners got the scoring going in the second inning when [autotag]Cydney Sanders[/autotag] launched a solo shot to deep left-center field. It was her third home run of the season on a day where Sanders went 2-for-2 with the home run, a double, a walk, and four RBIs.

Still in the second, after she doubled and advanced to third on a [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] single, [autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag] scored on a passed ball to make it 2-0. [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] then crushed her sixth home run of the season to make put OU up 4-0. [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag] then added another run on a Liberty throwing error to put the Sooners well in front 5-0.

More: Social media reacts to Sooners walk-off win in Love’s Field opener

In the Sooners next at bat in the bottom of the third, the Sooners put up seven runs on five hits. Sanders added three runs in a base-clearing double to put Oklahoma up 12-0 after three.

In the bottom of the fourth, [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] had an RBI single and [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag] a two-run home run, putting Oklahoma up 15-0.

More: Best photos from Opening Day at Love’s Field.

Oklahoma allowed three runs in the top of the fifth on back-to-back home runs, but the game was already well decided at that point.

Six different Sooners had at least two hits, led by Coleman’s three-hit game.

Oklahoma will close out the OU Tournament with a game against Louisiana on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. CT at Love’s Field.

More: How to watch No. 1 Oklahoma in the OU Tournament

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Oklahoma Sooners walk off opener at Love’s Field, 9-7 over Miami (OH)

It didn’t start off great but Oklahoma rallied for a 9-7 walk-off win in their first game at Love’s Field.

The Oklahoma Sooners played their first game at their new home. [autotag]Love’s Field[/autotag], the nation’s largest on-campus softball stadium, is the new home of the Sooners.

Things didn’t start well for the Sooners. The nation’s leader in home runs, the Miami (OH) Redhawks, hit back-to-back home runs off [autotag]Nicole May[/autotag] in the top of the 1st inning to get things started. The Redhawks led 3-0 after the top of the 1st. The Sooners loaded the bases with no one out in the bottom of the 1st but only managed to score one run on an [autotag]Ella Parker[/autotag] sacrifice fly that scored [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag]. Miami (OH) led 3-1 after one.

The 2nd inning was all about clutch pitching. Both pitchers were able to get out of two on jams.

The bottom of the 4th inning looked like it was going to be a big one. [autotag]Rylie Boone[/autotag] and [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag] started things off by putting runners on second and third respectively with no outs. [autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag] grounded out but was able to score Boone. Right after that, Miami (OH) struck out [autotag]Cydney Sanders[/autotag] and got Coleman to pop out to only allow one run. The Redhawks led 3-2 after four.

[autotag]Karlie Keeney[/autotag] made quick work in the 5th inning and then [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag] hit the first Sooners’ home run at Love’s Field to tie the game up at three heading to the 6th inning.

In the bottom of the 6th inning, [autotag]Riley Ludlam[/autotag] came in as a pinch hitter and hit a single up the middle that scored Hansen to give the Sooners their first lead. The very next at-bat, Coleman hit a two-run shot to give the Sooners a 6-3 lead. But they weren’t done there because in the very next at-bat freshman [autotag]Kasidi Pickering[/autotag] hit a solo shot to right field. The Sooners headed to the 7th inning with a 7-3 lead and needed three outs to improve to 15-0 on the season.

Keeney allowed back-to-back-to-back home runs to Miami to tie the game at seven with no outs in the inning. Keeney recovered to retire the side, setting the game up for another heroic moment.

The Sooners needed someone to step up and it was two of their veterans who did it. Boone started things off with a single before Hansen hit a walk-off two-run home run to win the game and extend Oklahoma’s winning streak to 68 and open Love’s Field with a huge win.

The Sooners face Liberty in the night cap of their double-header in their new home.

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