Tag: Kelly Maxwell

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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Oklahoma Sooners’ pitching the lone bright spot over the weekend

While there isn’t a lot of positives to take away from the weekend, you can take away just how great the pitching was from the Sooners.

When you lose your first conference series in over a decade, there aren’t a lot of positives for fans to take away. Especially with how you lost the series.

The Oklahoma Sooners’ offense managed to score just seven runs in the three games, but there is one bright spot from the weekend. The pitching and defense were really good against one of the best offenses in the country.

[autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag], [autotag]Nicole May[/autotag], [autotag]Karlie Keeney[/autotag], [autotag]Kierston Deal[/autotag] and [autotag]Paytn Monticelli[/autotag] held one of the best offenses in the country to just six runs in three games. Maxwell was dominant in Game 1 and got the start again in Game 3 and threw really well.

Patty Gasso spoke about her thought process giving Maxwell two starts in the series. “Another level,” Gasso said. “This is the best I’ve seen her. (She is) confident, cool, calm, execution, getting ahead. I liked it so much the first night, I wanted to see it again. She handled herself really well. I’m telling you, their offense and our offense, it’s almost side by side, identical. So, for us to shut them down to two runs, that’s a big deal.”

Holding them to two runs per game for the series would normally end in a series sweep for the Sooners. But Texas shutting Oklahoma’s lineup down to one run in the final two games of the series was the difference.

“I knew that today (Sunday) was going to be tough,” Kelly Maxwell said. “Credit Texas’ offense for picking up on my mistakes. I think there is just more opportunity to learn and grow from this weekend.”

The Sooners will have a day to regroup before traveling to face Wichita State on Tuesday.

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‘We needed to feel this’: Patty Gasso on Oklahoma’s first conference series loss in over a decade

It was a tough weekend for the Oklahoma Sooners but Patty Gasso has faith her team will bounce back.

It was a tough weekend for the Oklahoma Sooners. The Sooners took on their Red River Rival, the Texas Longhorns, and dropped their first conference series since 2011.

If you had told me the Sooners’ pitching and defense would have held Texas’ high-powered offense to six runs in three games, I would have thought the Sooners would have swept the series. But the Sooners only mustered seven runs themselves and five of those came in the game one win. Over the final two games, Oklahoma was held to just two runs.

It was a very uncharacteristic performance for the Sooners, who have had one of the top offenses in the sport for several years now.

But Patty Gasso feels they can take some positives from those performances. “We needed this,” Gasso said. “We needed to feel this. Are we broken? Are we shaken? Absolutely not. What we need to do, and we know, is go back to Norman and reset. To face a crowd that was outstanding, and I’ll tell you, as someone who is advocating for growing our sport, we love those crowds even though they’re against us. They are very vocal. We love it.”

The Sooners don’t have much time to sit on the loss, which can be good sometimes. They have a chance to respond to what happened this weekend on Tuesday against Wichita State.

One thing we are seeing from this team that we may have not seen in the past is they aren’t as invincible as they once were. Is that because they have fallen off a bit, or has the rest of the softball world started to catch up? It’s probably a little bit of both, but if there is one team or one coach that can figure it out, it’s the Oklahoma Sooners and Patty Gasso.

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Tiare Jennings’ great defensive play helps lead to win over Texas

Oklahoma’s defense was great once again, capped by a great play by one of the captains.

We wrote this week about how big the Oklahoma defense would need to be if the Sooners hoped to knock off the Texas Longhorns this weekend.

Texas has one of the best offenses in the country and the defense locked them down in Game 1, capped by an incredible play by [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag].

Texas scored twice in the seventh inning and had two on with the tying run at the plate. Katie Stewart hit a rocket to the left side that went off [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag]’s glove. Jennings snagged it out of the air while throwing to first to get the final out.

Kelly Maxwell talked about that incredible play to end the game.

“It just shows how talented she is in those types of moments,” Maxwell said. “I mean, we’re playing free, and we’re playing for something bigger than the game of softball, so for her just to step up in that moment was huge.”

That’s the kind of player Jennings has been her whole career. That’s why moving her from second base to shortstop was not a risky move. You know, when it matters most, she’s going to step up and make a play.

Which she did once again as she continues to do time and time again.

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Kelly Maxwell hitting her stride at the right time

Kelly Maxwell has been huge for Oklahoma this year and lately she’s been taking her game to a new level.

The Oklahoma Sooners moved to 35-1 on the season after a 5-2 opening series win against the Texas Longhorns. It was a dominant defensive effort led by [autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag]’s 10 strikeouts.

Maxwell has been hot in her last two outings. She had nine strikeouts last week against the [autotag]Kansas Jayhawks[/autotag] and allowed only one run. In this game she allowed only two runs to one of the best offenses in the country while striking out 10 Longhorns.

Through six innings she’s allowed just one walk and one hit before getting into some trouble in the bottom of the seventh.

Maxwell spoke about what has been working for her lately. “I think still just working through what I’ve been working so hard with Coach Rocha, finding my routine and staying with it,” Maxwell said. “Just being in control on my tempo, on my behalf. So, just feeding balls to the defense and letting them be behind me.”

When you’ve got the top defense in the country behind you, that’s all you need to do. Let them do the work for you, just keep the ball in play for them. That’s what the pitching staff has been so good at for Oklahoma the last few seasons.

Maxwell is already a great pitcher so when you put the top defense behind her, it makes her job even easier. But there is no doubt they need her to keep it up to close out the year if they want a chance at winning four straight.

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Oklahoma Sooners hang on to beat Texas 5-2 in series opener

Kelly Maxwell was phenomenal through six innings, and Jayda Coleman provided the difference at the plate in the Oklahoma Sooners 5-2 win over Texas.

[autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag] was phenomenal through six innings, and [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag]’s three-run homer proved to be the difference in the Sooners’ 5-2 win over the Texas Longhorns.

In a highly-anticipated top-five matchup, the game lived up to the billing as Maxwell and Longhorns starter Mac Morgan battled to keep the score low.

The Sooners got things going in the third inning. However, a heads-up challenge from Texas head coach Mike White and solid defensive positioning from the Horns prevented Oklahoma from creating a bigger inning.

After her single moved Maya Bland to third, Kinzie Hansen was called out for leaving the base early on a [autotag]Rylie Boone[/autotag] single, which wiped Oklahoma’s first run off the board and put Bland back on third. Instead of first and third and nobody out, the Sooners gave up an out with Hansen’s aggressiveness.

It ultimately didn’t matter as the Sooners cashed in, but the inning could have been bigger.

But Boone came through with one out, and Jayda Coleman’s drive to left could have gone for extra bases, but White had his team playing the line to take the double away, and [autotag]Patty Gasso[/autotag] was forced to hold Boone at third. Coleman drove in Bland to put the Sooners on the board. On the next at-bat, [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag] drove in Boone to make it 2-0.

The Sooners then got things going again in the fifth, again on a rally started by the back half of the order.

In the fifth, Hansen looked to drive a double down the line, but another timely challenge from White ruled that the ball was foul as it went past third base. Hansen then grounded into a fielder’s choice. Rylie Boone singled on a chopper to put two on with one out for the reigning Big 12 and National Player of the Week, Jayda Coleman.

Facing a 2-2 count, Coleman launched a ball to right field for a three-run home run to put Oklahoma up 5-0.

More: By the Numbers: No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners vs. No. 4 Texas Longhorns

Things got interesting in the bottom of the seventh when Joley Mitchell singled to lead off the inning and moved to second on a wild pitch. One of the best hitters in the nation, Reese Atwood, doubled down the left field line to score Mitchell and get the Longhorns on the board. Leighanne Goode walked and Viviana Martinez moved Adayah Wallace to third on a fielder’s choice. Ashton Maloney’s sacrifice fly scored Wallace to make it 5-2 and after a walk to Victoria Hunter, freshman Katie Stewart came up to the plate as the tying run with two outs.

The broadcast team mentioned during her at bat that in pregame batting practice, Stewart hit a ball over the fence and into the apartments beyond the stadium, breaking a window. With that kind of power, Texas was one swing away from tying the ball game. Stewart battled to a full count and Kelly Maxwell induced a groundball to [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] to close out the game and secure the win.

The Texas Longhorns offense came into this game sixth in the nation in scoring and second in batting average. Maxwell held them to two runs on three hits, three walks and recorded 10 strikeouts. At one point in time, Maxwell had struck out 7 of the 11 Longhorns batters that she’d faced.

After hitting .857 last weekend against Kansas, Coleman was the hero in this one, going 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs. Rylie Boone was the only other Sooners hitter with multiple hits on an evening where the vaunted Sooners lineup only collected seven hits. [autotag]Cydney Sanders[/autotag] walked twice

The win moved Oklahoma to 35-1 on the season and 13-0 in Big 12 play. The Sooners are now four games up on Texas in the regular season conference title race. Oklahoma State beat Houston to stay within three games.

It was the Sooners ninth win in a row over the Longhorns and they extended their nation leading win streak to 17 games.

Oklahoma and Texas get back at it on Saturday for game two of the Red River Rivalry series in Austin. That game can be seen on ESPN with first pitch scheduled for 7:00 p.m. CT.

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

More: Sooners, Blue Devils top consensus top 25 rankings for week 8

Oklahoma Sooners ready for the high-powered Texas Longhorns offense

The Sooners are ready for the challenge of facing one of the toughest offenses in the country.

The Oklahoma Sooners will have their hands full this weekend as they take on one of the best offenses in the country, the Texas Longhorns. The Longhorns come in averaging 7.7 runs per game.

Texas is also come in batting .377 on the season which ranks No. 2 in the nation with a slugging percentage of .609 which ranks No. 6.

They also have power in their lineup as they have 43 home runs which ranks No. 17 and an on-base percentage of .453 which ranks No. 4. Oklahoma on the other hand averages 9.2 runs per game, has a batting average of .394, a slugging percentage of .733 and 78 home runs with an on-base percentage of .495.

The big difference for both teams is the defense. Oklahoma comes in at No. 1 in the nation with a fielding percentage of .985. Texas on the other hand ranks No. 165 in the country at .961.

Alyssa Brito talked about the challenges of facing Texas’ offense. “I would say, at third, it’s going to be really fun for me,” Brito said. “I like that they challenge third basemen with the short game and their quick. Their whole lineup has speed but what I think is fun, especially playing against these types of teams is it’s the best games. When they are competitive and giving their best, they’re only making us better.”

The Sooners defense will have their hands full this weekend. It’ll also be up to the pitching staff to be on their game as well. If they can do that, the Sooners should come out on top over the weekend.

More: No. 1 Oklahoma vs. No. 4 Texas By the Numbers

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‘This was my dream school’: Kelly Maxwell on growing up an Oklahoma Sooners fan

While most of her career was spent at an in-state rival Oklahoma State, Kelly Maxwell admits Oklahoma was always her dream.

Not everyone’s path to the University of Oklahoma is the same. Some people come there right out of college, but others make it through the transfer portal.

The latter is how [autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag] found herself playing for the Sooners.

Maxwell spent five seasons with the Sooners in-state rival, the Oklahoma State Cowgirls. She received several accolades while playing for the Cowgirls, including selection to the USA Softball Women’s National Team in 2022 and 2023, 2023 NFCA Second Team All-American, 2023 All-Big 12 First Team, 2022 NFCA Unanimous First Team All-American, 2022 Big 12 Co-Pitcher of the Year and 2022 All-Big 12 First Team among many others.

Maxwell did an interview with KREF in Norman, in which she said while she spent five years at Oklahoma State, Oklahoma was always her dream school.

“Actually, from a young age, I was an OU fan,” Maxwell said. “My dad’s family actually all went to school here, and this was my dream school. I had always admired watching OU football and Adrian Peterson. So whenever 27 was taken (on her travel ball team) my coach at the time, he was an OU fan, he was like, ‘Hey why don’t you wear 28, it’s Adrian Peterson’s number and it’s just one above 27?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, sure!’ So, then it kind of stuck and I’ve been 28 ever since.”

That is just another example of how everyone’s path is different in how they come to Oklahoma. Maxwell was once a feared pitcher for the rival school but now is helping her “dream school” win another national championship.

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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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‘I try not to over-contemplate things’: Ella Parker taking the same approach to conference play

Oklahoma’s star freshmen starting to settle in now that conference play is here.

The Oklahoma Sooners put together one of the best freshman classes in the country this past season. It’s highlighted by two players who have made immediate contributions, [autotag]Ella Parker[/autotag] and [autotag]Kasidi Pickering[/autotag].

Both have had great starts to their seasons. Parker is hitting .441, which is second on the team, with five home runs and 27 RBIs. Pickering is hitting .412 with four home runs and 22 RBIs.

Earlier in the season, the Sooners were playing five games just about every weekend, which can be a grind. Jayda Coleman even spoke about how tough that is and they are just now finding a groove as a team.

But it’s the same way for the freshmen. Ella Parker talked about her approach to playing five different teams in one weekend vs. playing the same team three times. “I keep it very simple,” Parker said. “I try not to over-contemplate things. That’s what’s helped me stay locked into each different team.”

Parker and Pickering are the future of the program, but they’ve been a big part of Oklahoma’s success this season. They both have played in every game so far this season. That right there just shows the confidence the team and coaches have in them.

But we’ve seen freshmen in every sport hit a freshman wall at some point in the season. As of now, that hasn’t happened with these girls and the hope is, it won’t happen anytime soon.

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