Tag: Alyssa Brito

Kelly Maxwell throws a gem in Sooners 8-1 win over McNeese State

Kelly Maxwell struck out 8 and Alyssa Brito launched her fourth home run in the Sooners 8-1 win over McNeese State.

After picking up a run-rule win in their opener in the Cowgirl Challenge, the Oklahoma Sooners kept the good times rolling in their nightcap with the 2023 NCAA Tournament qualifier McNeese State.

It was another decisive win for the Sooners. However, they were forced to play from behind due to a first inning home run from McNeese State’s Corine Poncho off of Sooners starter [autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag].

She left the ball high and over the plate and Poncho made her pay for it with a drive to deep center field. Maxwell rebounded with a masterful performance over the remainder of her five innings pitched.

After the home run, Maxwell allowed just two more hits the rest of the way and racked up eight strikeouts without allowing a walk to lead the Sooners to the 8-1 win.

It didn’t take long for the Sooners to respond to the early deficit. After going down in order in the top of the second, [autotag]Ella Parker[/autotag] led off the top of the second with an infield single and [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag] drove a ball up the middle for a single of her own. After [autotag]Kasidi Pickering[/autotag]’s fielder’s choice put runners on first and third with one, [autotag]Cydney Sanders[/autotag] struck out on a 3-2 pitch. But with two outs in the inning, [autotag]Rylie Boone[/autotag] came through in the clutch once again with a two-RBI single to center field to give the Sooners the 2-1 lead.

Maxwell pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the second for the shutdown inning and the Sooners went right back to the work in the top of the third with a lead-off single from [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag]. Coleman advanced to second on a wild pitch.

After another infield single from [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag], Coleman and Brito scored on a bunt single from [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] and a throwing error to put the Sooners up 4-1. Hansen then drove in Jennings on a sacrifice fly to end the inning with a commanding 5-1 lead.

Though they had opportunities to add to the lead in the fourth and fifth after getting their lead-off hitter on base, the Sooners couldn’t capitalize. However, Oklahoma took advantage of [autotag]Cydney Sanders[/autotag]’ lead-off single in the sixth. [autotag]Rylie Boone[/autotag] earned her second base hit of the game and fourth of the day to move Sanders to second. A sacrifice bunt from Alynah Torres moved Sanders and Boone into scoring position for Jayda Coleman, who drove Sanders in with a sacrifice fly to make it 6-1. Then Alyssa Brito hammered her fourth home run of the season on a 2-2 count to put Oklahoma up 8-1.

[autotag]Karlie Keeney[/autotag] relieved Maxwell in the sixth and pitched two scoreless innings to finish off the Cowgirls and move to 6-0 on the season. With the win, the Sooners winning streak moves to 59 games ahead of their double-header on Saturday.

Maxwell is now 3-0 on the season and has allowed just four hits in 12.2 innings of work. The opposition is hitting just .098 off of Maxwell in the early stages of the season.

Brito finished the day 3-for-4, and Hansen and Boone also collected multi-hit games. It was Boone’s second game of the day with a pair of hits. Boone and Brito are now hitting .500 on the season. Brito is tied with Kasidi Pickering for the team lead in RBIs with seven. Boone is just two off the pace with five RBIs in 2024 after collecting four between the two games on Friday.

The Sooners are back in action on Saturday with games against Lamar and McNeese State. The game against Lamar can be streamed on SoonerSports.com while the matchup with McNeese State will be streamed on ESPN+.

More: How to watch, key players for Oklahoma Sooners in Cowgirl Challenge

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.

Patty Gasso breaks down this weekend’s games

The Sooners have five games this weekend that might be tougher than people think.

After starting the year with four games in Mexico, the Oklahoma Sooners head to Lake Charles, Louisiana for the Cowgirl Challenge. The Sooners will play five games against three teams.

On paper, this series doesn’t look that challenging. The Sooners opponents, Central Arkansas, McNeese State and Lamar, all have a combined record of 7-7 on the season.

Patty Gasso talked about her team’s upcoming challenge and why this won’t be as easy as it may seem to the outside world. “Central Arkansas was a tournament team last year,” Gasso said. “Lamar is a program on the rise. McNeese State, if you all remember, had one of the most exciting Super Regionals. They were almost in the World Series. Looking at their numbers, they have over 148 stolen bases last year which is unheard of. So, it’s going to be fast and furious. It’s going to be a lot of short game, slapping, runners in motion, our defense is going to have to be on point.”

McNeese State took Washington to the brink last season. They beat them and then had a do-or-die game vs. them to move on. They ultimately lost that game 7-6. They currently sit at 4-1 this year with three-run rules on the season.

So, while on paper it doesn’t look as difficult as last weekend’s games, the Sooners have to be ready or their streak could be in danger.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Jaron on Twitter @JaronSpor.

Oklahoma Sooners softball may have found their next star

It’s only been four games but Oklahoma might have found their next star in freshman Kasidi Pickering.

Don’t look now, the Oklahoma Sooners might have found their next star softball player. It’s only been four games but freshman [autotag]Kasidi Pickering[/autotag] leads the team with a .455 batting average and seven RBIs.

She also has one home run which was a grand slam in her first career at-bat. Depending on where you looked, Pickering was as high as the No. 4 prospect in the country and as low as the No. 16 prospect in the country coming out of high school and was a part of the No. 2 ranked recruiting class.

Pickering spoke about the differences from high school.

“It’s still the same game I feel like since we’ve all played,” Pickering said. “But the players just take it to a whole other level. There are so many more things you have to nitpick and take control of. So, just being aware of the situation and playing to the level.”

Playing to that high level and the high standard of Oklahoma softball she did.

Even though it was just a four-game stretch, it’s not often you are going to have a better batting average than players like [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag], [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] or [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag] but that’s exactly what she did.

One thing is for certain, she’s going to make it very hard on [autotag]Patty Gasso[/autotag] to not have her in the lineup just about every game.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Jaron on Twitter @JaronSpor.

How to watch, key players for No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners in the Cowgirl Challenge

The Sooners are back in action with a five game weekend slate and here is how you can watch each game.

The Oklahoma Sooners started their season undefeated, going 4-0 last week in the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge. They also remained the unanimous No. 1 team in the country after picking up a pair of top 10 wins.

This weekend, they have a five-game slate, including two days of double-headers. They will face Central Arkansas, McNeese State, and Lamar this weekend in Lake Charles, Lousiana.

Oklahoma’s weekend opponents have a combined record of 7-7, with McNeese State owning the best record of the bunch at 4-1. McNeese State was lost in the Seattle Regional final after eliminating Minnesota and taking game from host Washington. Central Arkansas has struggled to start the year but they were a tournament team just a season ago.

So, let’s take a look at how you can watch each game and see who are some of the key players for all five teams.

‘It was a good start’: Patty Gasso is pleased with their start but not satisfied

The Oklahoma Sooners started with a 4-0 week but Patty Gasso and crew are not satisfied.

The Oklahoma Sooners started the season 4-0 and increased their record-setting winning streak to 57 games in Puerto Vallarta. But it didn’t come without some drama.

The [autotag]Washington Huskies[/autotag] had a 3-2 lead before Riley Ludlam’s RBI single pushed the game into extra innings. Then Riley Boone came through in the clutch moment to help the Sooners get the win.

There were two controversial calls, one going for Oklahoma and one going against Oklahoma that could have ended that game in regulation. Still, the Sooners found a way to get the win.

More: 3 Stars from Oklahoma’s 4-0 weekend in Puerto Vallarta

Patty Gasso was asked about what she thought of her team’s performance this past week. “I asked the team today to rank our performance 1-10,” Gasso said. “I had a lot of fours, I had a lot of fives and I had a few sixes. We just beat two top-10 teams with that level of performance. That’s something to look at and go, ‘Hey, that’s okay.’ They were not happy but they competed and that’s what is important to me. So, it was a good start, absolutely, it was a good start.”

Gasso went on to say she felt they were at a “5+” but had a really good practice to start the new week. The great thing about softball is if you aren’t happy with your performance, you’ll have several games just around the corner to fix it.

The Sooners have five games this weekend, including a pair of double-headers in the Cowgirl Challenge in Lake Charles, Louisiana. All five games will be available on ESPN+.

More: Social media reacts to Oklahoma’s extra inning win over Washington.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Jaron on Twitter @JaronSpor.

3 Stars from Oklahoma Sooners 4-0 weekend in Puerto Vallarta

The Oklahoma Sooners finished the weekend 4-0 and here are the 3 Stars from their strong start to the season.

The Oklahoma Sooners 2024 season is off to a strong start. They’re 4-0 with a pair of top 10 wins over Washington and Duke. In the process, they extended their record-breaking winning streak to 57 games.

It wasn’t easy by any stretch, but the Sooners overcame adversity along the way to pull out the victories. They battled in an extra inning showdown that felt like a College World Series matchup and found a way to come out on top.

And while they went 4-0, it’s still early in the season and there are areas where they can continue to grow. The Sooners showed off their depth as veterans and true freshmen made contributions throughout the weekend.

As we continue our look at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge, here are this weekend’s three stars and a couple of honorable mentions.

Oklahoma Sooners close weekend with 11-3 win over Long Beach State

Karlie Keeney was fantastic in relief and the Oklahoma Sooners pulled away from Long Beach State late to earn the 11-3 win.

The Oklahoma Sooners finished their weekend in Puerto Vallarta with a 4-0 record and a 57-game winning streak.

As was the case on Friday night, the Sooners were tested on Saturday by Long Beach State before exploding late for the 11-3 win.

[autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag] opened the scoring in the top of the first with a three-run blast to put Oklahoma ahead early.

[autotag]Kierston Deal[/autotag], who drew the start, allowed a leadoff single before retiring the next three hitters. The bottom of the second though, wasn’t as kind. Long Beach State tagged her for three runs on three hits and a walk. Liberty transfer [autotag]Karlie Keeney[/autotag] came in to put an end to the inning.

Keeney was magnificent, throwing 4 1/3 innings of perfect ball. Long Beach struggled to make good contact, and the Sooners defense made every play that came its way. Keeney’s outing provided the momentum Oklahoma’s bats needed to come around.

With the game tied 3-3 in the fourth, [autotag]Cydney Sanders[/autotag] rocketed a ball to deep center field. It looked like Lilyanna Martinez was there to make the play, but the ball hit off her glove and went over the fence for a home run, Sanders’ first of the season.

In the sixth, the Sooners broke it open. Brito led off with a solo home run, her second on the day and third of the season to make it 6-3. Sanders and Avery Hodge recorded infield singles, and [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag] walked to load the bases with no outs. Ella Parker and [autotag]Riley Ludlam[/autotag] drew bases-loaded walks to make it 8-3 before [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] grounded into a double play to score Parker and make it 9-3. [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] capped the scoring with a two-run shot that went a long ways to make it 11-3. It was Jennings second home run of the season.

[autotag]Peytn Monticelli[/autotag] came in to pitch the seventh and recorded a scoreless relief appearance to seal OU’s win.

Brito was 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBIs to lead the way. Hansen was 2-for-3 with a double, RBI and a walk. Sanders also had two hits.

Oklahoma’s road tour continues next weekend when it heads to Lake Charles, Louisiana, for the Cowgirl Challenge. It will take on Central Arkansas and McNeese State on Friday, Lamar and McNeese State on Saturday before closing the weekend with Central Arkansas again on Sunday.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.

Patty Gasso excited to get into Love’s Field for the first time

Oklahoma still has about a month until they get to play in their new stadium that has some things that even Patty Gasso didn’t know about.

The 2024 college softball season is an exciting one for the Oklahoma Sooners. Not only do they ride a record 54-game win streak and are looking to become the first team to win four straight national championships, but they are also debuting a new stadium.

But the Sooners have to wait about a month before playing their first game in their new stadium. Oklahoma’s first 14 games are all on the road before they head home for the first time on March 1, 2024, vs. the Miami (OH) Red Hawks.

Patty Gasso was asked about her excitement level to get to play at Love’s Field for the first time. “I just got a tour of it today and I hadn’t seen it for a couple of months,” Gasso said. “I actually went with Jenny Love. She and I were enjoying it together, and there were things that I didn’t know were happening. We got down on the actual field and I’m looking up, that was Joe Castiglione’s idea to create the outline of Oklahoma and I’m like ‘Okay, that sounds kind of corny.’ But when I see it, I’m like, ‘That is awesome!’ I think it’s the coolest thing.”

Another thing Gasso didn’t know about is how they are adding more seats. She said there are going to be grandstands on top of the walkway in the outfield that will add another 500 or 600 seats. All in all, she was very impressed with her tour calling the stadium “grand.”

Now, fans have to wait just a few more days before they get to see it for themselves. But there isn’t a more deserving team in the country to play in a stadium like that.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Jaron on Twitter @JaronSpor.

No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners beat Utah Valley 13-0 in Puerto Vallarta

The Oklahoma Sooners erupted for three home runs in the first two innings to beat Utah Valley 13-0.

The Oklahoma Sooners picked up right where they left off in their season-opening 13-0 win over Utah Valley.

[autotag]Nicole May[/autotag] threw three innings of one-hit ball and Oklahoma had their long-ball game going strong throughout. May collected two strikeouts and allowed just one base runner in the outing.

The fireworks started in the first inning when Kasidi Pickering launched a grand slam with two outs to give the Sooners a 4-0 lead early. It was the first at bat in Pickering’s career and she made it count.

More: Social media reacts to Kasidi Pickering’s grand slam in first career at bat.

After another scoreless inning from May in the top of the second, another true freshman came through in a big way in the bottom of the second. Ella Parker came to the plate with two on and nobody out. Parker sent a line drive up the middle, which brought in [autotag]Rylie Boone[/autotag] and [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag]. Parker advanced to second on the throw home and then came around to score when Utah Valley missed second base and the ball went through to center field.

With Oklahoma up 7-0, the veterans on the team began to show off their power as [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag] and [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag] went back-to-back to put the Sooners up 9-0 through two innings.

In the bottom of the third, Coleman added a couple more runs with a double to right field that brought in Alynah Torres and Hannah Coor to extend the lead to 11-0. With the Sooners in run-rule territory for the first time in 2024, they added a pair of sacrifice flys pushed the score to 13-0.

Kierston Deal worked around a bases loaded jam for a scoreless fourth inning, and Peytn Monticelli threw a scoreless fifth to give the Sooners the win and extend their record-setting winning streak to 54 games.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.

How to watch, key players for No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners in the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge

The Oklahoma Sooners open the season in the Puerto Vallarta College Classic and here’s how you can watch the action.

The No. 1 softball team in the country is set to make its season debut. The Oklahoma Sooners start the season with a doubleheader in the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge against Utah Valley and the No. 9 [autotag]Duke Blue Devils[/autotag]. They then wrap it up with games on Friday and Saturday against Washington and Long Beach State.

This is a tournament Oklahoma is familiar with. It marks its third appearance south of the border. It last participated in the 2020 event, going 4-0 and outscoring opponents, 27-9. The  Sooners competed in the 2017 tournament and went 2-2.

The Sooners ride a NCAA record 53-game winning streak into Mexico. But they’ll have their work cut out for them: They face two top-10 teams in their first three games.

The Sooners are also looking to make history and become the first softball team to win four straight national championships. So, let’s take a look at Oklahoma’s opponents and how you can watch their opening-week games.