Tag: Tiare Jennings

Oklahoma Sooners beat UCLA Bruins 1-0

Kelly Maxwell recorded a career high 11 strikeouts as the Oklahoma Sooners beat the UCLA Bruins 1-0 in the Women’s College World Series.

The No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners softball team came into a marquee matchup against fellow softball blue-blood UCLA after beating Duke on Thursday. Saturday’s game against the No. 6 Bruins was a much closer battle, but the Sooners moved on to the NCAA semifinals with a 1-0 win.

After a scoreless first two innings, OU struck first with a solo home run by [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] to take a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

It was Jenningsโ€™ 96th-career home run, which put her in third on the all-time list, passing former Sooner [autotag]Lauren Chamberlain[/autotag]. Jennings trails only Miami (OH)’s Karli Spaid and OU legend [autotag]Jocelyn Alo[/autotag].

The story of the rest of the game was Oklahoma’s [autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag]. The pitcher shut down the Bruin offense with a career-high 11 strikeouts and pitched a gem of a shutout.

UCLA managed to get runners in scoring position in the third and sixth innings, but Maxwell’s career day turned the Bruins away at every turn. The top of the sixth inning, in particular, may have been Maxwell’s finest moment. With two on base for the Bruins, she forced a pop out and got a strikeout to thwart the UCLA threat.

Maxwell faced UCLA’s All-American Maya Brady four times on the afternoon and got the better of Brady each time. The first three were strikeouts before forcing a groundout that ended the game in the top of the seventh.

The Bruins will face Stanford in an elimination game on Sunday night, while the Sooners will wait until Monday for their next game.

[autotag]Patty Gasso[/autotag]’s team is one win away from the championship series, and their next game will come against either Alabama or the loser of Saturday night’s Florida–Texas game.

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5 Oklahoma Sooners earn NFCA All-American honors

Led by Tiare Jennings fourth first-team selection, five Sooners earned NFCA All-American Honors.

The Oklahoma Sooners head into the Women’s College World Series with one of the most talented teams in the nation. On Wednesday, five Sooners were selected to the Natioinal Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-American Teams.

[autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] and [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag] earned first-team selections. For Jennings, it was her fourth first-team honor and is the sixth Sooner to earn that distinction. Jennings joins a who’s who of players in Oklahoma history. Norrelle Dickson, Keilani Ricketts, [autotag]Lauren Chamberlain[/autotag], Paige Parker, and [autotag]Jocelyn Alo[/autotag] also earned four first-team selections in their Sooners career.

Jennings is hitting .372 on the year with 21 home runs and 64 RBIs. It’s been a historic season for the Sooners infielder, who’s climbed into the top three in career home runs.

It’s the second consecutive first-team selection for Brito who had another phenomenal season for the Sooners. Brito is hitting .406 with 18 home runs, 13 doubles, and 59 RBIs this season and has been phenomenal at third base.

Centerfielder [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] joined Jennings with her fourth All-American selection, earning a nod for the second team. Coleman was arguably the biggest snub from the first team as the game’s best centerfielder. In 2024, she’s hitting .394 with 12 home runs, 42 RBIs, and has scored 68 runs. She leads the Sooners with a .532 on-base percentage.

[autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag] also earned a second-team selection with nine home runs and 35 RBIs and was the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. This is Hansen’s third All-American selection.

After a phenomenal first year in Norman, [autotag]Ella Parker[/autotag] earned a third-team All-American pick, which is Oklahoma’s first for a freshman since Coleman and Jennings earned selections back in 2021. Parker is hitting .419 with 12 home runs, 14 doubles, and 57 RBIs.

Oklahoma was one of five teams to earn multiple first-team selections, joining Florida, Duke, Virginia Tech, and Tennessee. The Sooners alsoย tied with the Gators with the most All-American selections.

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Oklahoma Sooners playing their best softball heading into the Women’s College World Series

Riding a nine game winning streak, the Oklahoma Sooners are playing their best softball heading into the Women’s College World Series.

Ten games ago, the Oklahoma Sooners dropped their second straight game to the Oklahoma State Cowgirls in their Bedlam series. The Sooners were outscored 12-5 by Oklahoma State in the two losses, dropping their second Big 12 series of the season.

But in the third game of the series on the last day of the regular season and with the Big 12 regular season title out of the picture, the Sooners began looking like the team that’s won three straight national titles.

They carried a 2-0 lead into the sixth inning. Oklahoma State tied it up in the top of the sixth and the Sooners responded in a way only they know how, putting up six runs in the bottom of the inning and getting a much needed win ahead of the Big 12 tournament.

That was the first of current Oklahoma’s nine-game winning streak. During the streak, the Sooners have outscored their opponents 69-16. In their nine games, the OU has held their opponents to two runs or fewer seven times and scored six runs or more six times.

They’ve turned it on at the right time of the year, taking a more aggressive approach at the plate and on the base paths. They’re putting more pressure on opposing pitching staffs and taking advantage of mistakes in the field. It’s the effort and the approach of a veteran team that knows what it takes to win in May and June.

From [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag], [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag], and [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] at the plate to [autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag] and [autotag]Nicole May[/autotag] from the circle, the Sooners are rolling right now heading into the Women’s College World Series.

They’ll open with a tough matchup against ACC Champion Duke, but the Sooners are looking like a team ready to make more history.

More: Women’s College World Series By the Numbers

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Best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners 11-3 win over the Florida State Seminoles

The Sooners earned a big win over Florida State in game one of the Super Regionals, and here are the best photos from the action.

The Oklahoma Sooners got off to a roaring start in their super regional matchup with the Florida State Seminoles. They struck first with a [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] home run and ran away from the Seminoles in an 11-3 win on Thursday evening.

Jennings is now tied with Sooners legend Lauren Chamberlain for third all-time in career home runs.

[autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag] had a pair of home runs and [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag] added to the power display to give the Sooners four home runs in the win. In total, OU recorded 11 hits, 8 walks, and no strikeouts.

On a night when [autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag] wasn’t her sharpest, the offense picked her up with a fantastic showing in their first game of the Super Regionals.

“You know what, Kelly fought her rear-end off for this (victory),” Patty Gasso said after the win. “That’s a tough-hitting team. It’s like facing our own team. They swing. One thing they’re so good at, they probably hit 40 foul balls. Their at-bats lasted forever. I credit them for just being tough hitters, but I also credit Kelly for having to bear down and get through it. Holding them to three runs is big-time.”

Brito had a huge night, reaching base in all four plate appearances, going 3-for-3 with a walk, two home runs, and three RBIs. The home runs were her first since April 26 against UCF. [autotag]Kasidi Pickering[/autotag] also reached base four times in her 2-for-2 night with two walks and an RBI.

Now the pressure shifts to Florida State to try and extend the series to a game three. With the way the schedule sets up, Oklahoma may get an extended break if they were to close out the super regional with a win on Friday night. OU vs. Florida State was just one of two matchups to play on Thursday night, so the Sooners could get an extra day of rest ahead of the Women’s College World Series if they can secure the series tonight.

The Sooners and Seminoles will to Love’s Field at 7 p.m. CT and the game can be seen on ESPN2.

Here are the best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners 11-3 win over FSU.

Oklahoma Sooners run-rule Seminoles to open Norman Super Regional

Powered by Alyssa Brito’s two home runs, the Oklahoma Sooners beat Florida State 11-3 to take game one of their Super Regional matchup.

The Oklahoma Sooners came to play in their super regional opener against Florida State, earning an 11-3 walk-off run-rule win in five innings on Thursday evening.

[autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag] worked around a bases loaded jam in the first inning against the Seminoles and then one of the greatest hitters the game has ever seen stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the first to help the Sooners strike first.

With one out, [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] took the 1-0 offering out of the park for her 22nd home run of the season and third in four NCAA tournament games. Oklahoma led 1-0 after one inning.

Maxwell settled in with a 1-2-3 second and [autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag] added to the lead with a two-strike double to bring in [autotag]Rylie Boone[/autotag] for a 2-0 advantage through two innings.

In the top of the third, Maxwell’s control got away from her a bit as she hit her second batter of the game and a wild pitch put runners on second and third with just one out. Florida State cashed in with a two-run single from Devyn Flaherty to tie the game at two.

But the Sooners responded as only they know how in the bottom of the inning. [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag] hit the first of two home runs to regain the lead for Oklahoma. Then OU took advantage of a FSU error to plate two more and retake control of the game 5-2.

But they weren’t anywhere close to done. In the bottom of the fourth, the Sooners pulled away completely. Brito hit her second home run of the day, this time a two-run shot after [autotag]Ella Parker[/autotag]’s one out single.

[autotag]Kasidi Pickering[/autotag] singled ahead of Kinzie Hansen, who hit her 10th home run of the season, which made it 9-2. [autotag]Cydney Sanders[/autotag] capped off the scoring with an RBI single to give Oklahoma a commanding 10-2 lead and put the run rule in effect heading into the fifth.

Florida State was able to scratch out a run in the top half of the inning. But Seminoles pitching walked four batters in the bottom of the fifth and the Sooners took home the 11-3 win in walk-off fashion.

It was a rough outing for Maxwell, but she battled to give the Sooners offense a chance to take control of the game. She gave up three runs on four hits and six walks in an uncharacteristic performance for the Sooners ace.

Alyssa Brito led the way at the plate with a 3-for-3 day with two home runs and three RBIs. The home runs were her first since April 26 against UCF. She’s now up to 18 homers on the season with 59 RBIs.

Oklahoma and Florida State will play game two of the series on Friday night at 7 p.m. CT. Broadcast information is still to be determined. The Sooners are now one win away from reaching the Women’s College World Series for the eighth time and fourth straight season.

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Best Photos from Oklahoma’s 3-2 win over the Oregon Ducks to advance to Super Regionals

The Oklahoma Sooners advanced to the Super Regionals with a 3-2 win over the Oregon Ducks. Here are some of the bet photos from the win.

The Oklahoma Sooners had a great weekend in the Norman Regional, sweeping through the competition with a win over Cleveland State on Friday and then a pair of wins over Oregon to advance to their 14th consecutive Super Regionals next weekend against Florida State.

The Sooners received another fantastic start from [autotag]Nicole May[/autotag], who allowed one earned run in five innings of work. May scattered five hits and struck out six and [autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag] allowed a hit over two innings to earn the save and push the Sooners on in the NCAA tournament.

[autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] scored on a sacrifice fly from Kasidi Pickering in the first. Coleman then doubled [autotag]Avery Hodge[/autotag] home later in the game to put the Sooners up 2-0.

With the scored tied 2-2 in the fourth, [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] drove in Coleman on a 3-2 count, which ended up being the winning run. It was a fantastic day for Coleman, who finished 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI.

The win was an emotional one for [autotag]Patty Gasso[/autotag] and the Sooners coaching staff after welcoming back former Sooner greats [autotag]Missy Lombardi[/autotag] and [autotag]Sydney Romero[/autotag]. Like the team typically does after a series, the coaching staffs from the Oregon Ducks and the Oklahoma Sooners met at home plate for their own prayer circle.

For a Sooners team looking to win its fourth consecutive national championship, this weekend was a strong start to their run to the Women’s College World Series. Oklahoma received timely hitting, and the Sooners pitching staff didn’t allow a walk in the 20 innings pitched this weekend. If they can pitch like that during the postseason, they’ll be in great shape.

Florida State comes to town next weekend in a rematch of the 2023 Women’s College World Series Championship.

Here’s a look at the best photos from the Sooners win over Oregon on Sunday.

Best photos from Oklahoma Sooners 9-0 win over Cleveland State in NCAA tournament

Best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners 9-0 win over the Cleveland State Vikings in the Norman Regional.

It was a rousing start for the Oklahoma Sooners in their NCAA tournament opener, rattling off a 9-0 run-rule win over the Cleveland State Vikings.

[autotag]Nicole May[/autotag] was stellar, with nine strikeouts in five innings. She allowed just three hits and didn’t walk a batter. Oklahoma’s freshmen [autotag]Kasidi Pickering[/autotag] and [autotag]Ella Parker[/autotag] combined for five RBIs in their first NCAA tournament appearance.

[autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] walked it off with a two-run home run to move into a tie for fourth place on the NCAA all-time home run list and fifth place in career RBIs. Jennings is one of the sports all-time greats in the midst of another incredible career.

With 20 home runs on the season, it’s the third time in her career that she’s hit at least 20 home runs in a season.

The Sooners are getting a team effort over the last five games where they’re outscoring their opponents 45-6 dating back to their win over Oklahoma State in the Bedlam series finale.

The Sooners now get set for a big-time showdown with the Oregon Ducks on Saturday. But before that, let’s take a look at the best photos from the Sooners win over Cleveland State.

 

Oklahoma Sooners open NCAA Tournament with 9-0 win over Cleveland State

Nicole May dominated Cleveland State with five shutout innings, nine strikeouts and no walks. Freshman Kasidi Pickering hit two home runs, Ella Parker added three RBIs, and Tiare Jennings ended the game with a walk-off home run to lead the Sooners to a 9-0 win.

In what was a pitchers duel through the first few innings turned into a rout as the Oklahoma Sooners beat the Cleveland State Vikings 9-0 to move to 1-0 in the Norman Regional.

The Sooners received. fantastic performance from senior [autotag]Nicole May[/autotag], who recorded nine strikeouts in five innings of shutout ball. She allowed just three hits and didn’t surrender a walk in the win.

[autotag]Kasidi Pickering[/autotag] got the scoring started for the Sooners in the second inning with a solo home run, one of two blasts she had in her first NCAA tournament game.

May and Cleveland State starter Melissa Holzopfel battled to a 1-0 game through three innings. Holzopfel even eliminated a Sooners scoring threat in the bottom of the third, escaping a bases loaded jam by striking out [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag].

But the Sooners broke through in the fourth inning to pull away from the Vikings.

Pickering singled and pinch runner [autotag]Hannah Coor[/autotag] advanced to second on [autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag] sacrifice bunt. After Avery Hodge grounded back to the pitcher for the second out of the inning, the Sooners bats came to life.

[autotag]Rylie Boone[/autotag] singled to bring in Coor and make it 2-0. [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] followed that with a triple on a diving attempt by Cleveland State’s center fielder. That brought home Boone and put Oklahoma up 3-0. [autotag]Ella Parker[/autotag] continued her incredible postseason by driving in Coleman, and the Sooners had a commanding 4-0 lead heading into the fifth.

As she had all game, May was electric, getting a 1-2-3 inning to put the red hot Sooners offense back at the plate.

Pickering hit her second home run of the game and ninth of the season in the fifth to put the Sooners up 5-0. In the bottom of the sixth, Parker had a two-run double and [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] hit the 93rd home run of her career to end the game in walk-off, run-rule fashion.

Jennings’ home run was the 93rd of her career and tied her for fourth in NCAA history.

Nicole May’s nine-strikeout performance was a season-high. She was electric from the circle, showing off great location and power, and mixed up her pitches well. She struck out half of the 18 Cleveland State batters she faced to move to 13-2 on the season.

Coleman, Parker, and Jennings were really good, combining to go 5-for-10 with six RBIs. Parker and fellow freshman Pickering were instrumental in the victory, showing that they’re ready for the bright lights of the NCAA tournament.

The win put the Sooners on the winning side of the Norman Regional, where they’ll face the Oregon Ducks on day two. Oregon run ruled Boston earlier in the day Friday to advance in the winners bracket.

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No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners beat No. 1 Texas Longhorns 5-1, win Big 12 tournament championship

Kelly Maxwell recorded seven strikeouts and allowed just two hits to lead the Oklahoma Sooners to their second consecutive Big 12 tournament title.

Oklahoma Sooners pitcher [autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag] threw a gem, and the Sooners enacted Red River revenge on the Texas Longhorns to win the Big 12 tournament title.

Maxwell threw 5 2/3 innings and allowed one run on two hits and three walks. She recorded seven strikeouts against a vaunted Texas offense that was averaging just over 15 runs per game in its last five outings. Maxwell and the Sooners snapped Texas’ 18-game winning streak, which started with the second game of the OU-Texas three-game series in Austin.

Batting as the visiting team, the Oklahoma Sooners started early. [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] reached on an error by first baseman Katie Stewart. [autotag]Ella Parker[/autotag] picked up an infield single, beating the throw from second base on a slow dribbler. [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] made her presence felt with a double to score Coleman. With Parker on third, [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag] came through with a fielder’s choice RBI to put Oklahoma up 2-0 in the first inning.

Maxwell worked a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the first but ran into trouble in the second. After a couple of strikeouts, Maxwell surrendered a walk to Joley Mitchell and Kayden Henry drove in the Longhorns only run of the game with a triple to right center. Maxwell ended the threat, leaving Henry stranded on third.

Like they’ve done so many times, the Sooners responded in the top of the third inning. Parker singled and advanced on a wild pitch. She came around to score on a hard-hit ball by [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag] to put Oklahoma up 3-1. Hansen brought Brito around to make it 4-1. Hansen had a double that she nearly turned into a triple, but the Texas relay throw was just in time to get Hansen at third and retire the side.

The Longhorns couldn’t take advantage of a lead-off single in the top of the third as Maxwell retired the next three Longhorns in order.

The Sooners tacked on another run in the top of the fourth after [autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag] reached on another Texas error. Boone singled up the middle to score Torres to put the Sooners up 5-1.

In the bottom of the fourth, Maxwell needed just six pitches to retire the Longhorns in order. In the fifth, she surrendered a leadoff walk but struck out the next two Longhorns before inducing a ground out to end the inning.

In the sixth, Maxwell ran into trouble after she walked and hit Texas batters to put runners on first and second with nobody out for Big 12 Player of the Year [autotag]Reese Atwood[/autotag]. Atwood lined a ball to straight away center field that Jayda Coleman played perfectly to prevent the Longhorns from pushing two runs across.

But then [autotag]Patty Gasso[/autotag] and Jennifer Rocha went to the bullpen and senior [autotag]Nicole May[/autotag]. May had struggled from the circle, but was flawless in her 1 2/3 innings of work. May recorded three strikeouts to help preserve the victory and give the Sooners the Big 12 tournament title for the second year in a row.

It was Maxwell’s second Big 12 tournament title in the last three years after beating the Sooners as a pitcher for the Oklahoma State Cowgirls in 2021. In this one, against arguably the hottest team in the country, Maxwell was lights out.

With the win, Maxwell moved to 17-2 on the season. Ella Parker continued her incredible tournament with another two-hit game. Parker was named most outstanding player for the tournament. She was 7-for-9 in Oklahoma’s three games with a home run, two doubles, five RBIs and six runs scored.

It’s the Sooners’ ninth Big 12 tournament title since the formation of the conference. Now, they head into the NCAA tournament on a high note. The Oklahoma Sooners will host an NCAA regional next weekend, but we’ll find out who it is on selection Sunday.

After beating Texas to split the four games, the Sooners have a chance to move back into the top spot after Tennessee was bounced early in the SEC tournament by LSU and Oklahoma State lost to BYU in the opening round of the Big 12 tournament.

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Oklahoma Sooners advance to Big 12 title game with 13-2 win over BYU Cougars

Kierston Deal was magnificent and freshmen Ella Parker and Kasidi Pickering led the way in Oklahoma’s 13-2 win over the BYU Cougars.

[autotag]Kierston Deal[/autotag] no-hit the BYU Cougars for 4.2 innings, and the Oklahoma Sooners offense struck early and often once again to beat the Cougars 13-2 and advance to the Big 12 title game.

It was the freshmen that came through in the first. [autotag]Ella Parker[/autotag] got the scoring going in the bottom of the first with a solo home run. The Sooners kept the scoring going when [autotag]Kasidi Pickering[/autotag] drove in [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag] and [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag] to put OU up 3-0 after one.

With Deal rolling, the Sooners tacked on two more runs in the third, taking advantage of a throwing error that allowed Brito to reach second. [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag] drove her in with a hard single through the right side to make it 4-0. After Hansen stole second on a hit-and-run attempt, Pickering picked up her third RBI of the game on a single through the right side, and Oklahoma extended their lead to 5-0.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Sooners put together a hit parade. [autotag]Avery Hodge[/autotag] walked, and [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag] reached on a bunt single. Parker drove in Hodge to make it 6-0. Jennings walked to load the bases for Brito, who came through with a two-run single. Hansen earned her second hit of the day to drive in Jennings and make it 9-0. Pinch hitting for Pickering, Hannah Coor singled up the middle to bring in Brito and make the score 10-0.

With one out in the inning, [autotag]Maya Bland[/autotag] walked and Hodge drove in a pinch running Riley Ludlam on a sacrifice fly. With two outs in the inning, Coleman reached again on another BYU error, which scored another Sooners run and Parker picked up her third hit of the day on a rocket to left center field.

Freshmen Ella Parker and Kasidi Pickering combined to go 5-for-6 with six RBIs. Alyssa Brito also had a three-hit game with a pair of RBIs.

Deal’s no-hit bid was ended in the top of the fifth after ESPN made an extended point to show that there were no hits on the scoreboard. The no-hitter was broken up on a bloop single to right field and the shutout came to an end on a two-run home run from Hailey Morrow. But it was a fantastic performance from Deal, who held the Big 12’s third-best scoring offense hitless for 4.2 innings. It was another tremendous start from the sophomore over the last couple of months.

Now, the Sooners await the winner of the other semifinal between the Texas Longhorns and the Baylor Bears.

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