Tag: Tiare Jennings

Best photos from Oklahoma’s 10-1 win over the Kansas Jayhawks

Best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners 10-1 run-rule win over the Kansas Jayhawks in the Big 12 tournament.

The Oklahoma Sooners looked free, relaxed, and to be having fun in their 10-1 win over the Kansas Jayhawks. Half of their 10 hits were of the extra base variety. OU jumped on KU with five runs in the first inning before adding five more in the second and third to run away with their quarterfinal win in the Big 12 tournament.

It was a continuation of their 8-2 win in the finale against Oklahoma State last weekend. They were aggressive in the count and on the basepaths putting pressure on Kansas in a variety of ways.

“It’s fun to coach that way,” Patty Gasso said after the game. “It’s kind of hard at times. They’re such good hitters you don’t want to take the bat out of their hands, but they’re also very good with contact. They can hit bad pitches or not great pitches hard. I think we really wanted to make whoever we’re playing feel that way right from the start.”

Ella Parker and Alyssa Brito scored on close plays at the plate that only happened because of their aggressiveness.

[autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag], [autotag]Ella Parker[/autotag], [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag], and [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag], the top four hitters in the order, combined to go 6-for-7 with three extra base hits, three walks, eight runs scored, and seven RBIs. Rylie Boone helped set the table from her No. 9 spot with a two-hit day of her own.

[autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag] worked around a rough first inning to allow just one run but settled in to allow only one base runner in the next two innings. Peytn Monticelli allowed only a hit batter in her two innings of work.

Now, the Sooners continue in the Big 12 tournament with a 5 p.m. CT date against the BYU Cougars, who knocked off the Oklahoma State Cowgirls in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

‘It’s going to be bittersweet’: Oklahoma Sooners’ seniors ready for final road trip

Heading to Orlando to take on the Knights, Oklahoma’s senior class goes on the road for the final time.

The Oklahoma Sooners’ senior class is one of the best senior classes in the history of softball. Most have been a part of the three straight national champions or at least a part of some of the national titles during this stretch.

Those seniors include [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag], [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag], [autotag]Rylie Boone[/autotag], [autotag]Nicole May[/autotag], [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag], [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag], [autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag], [autotag]Riley Ludlam[/autotag], [autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag] and [autotag]Karlie Keeney[/autotag]. This weekend they head on the road for what might be the final time in their career.

After this weekend in Orlando vs. UCF, the Sooners will close out the regular season in Norman against Oklahoma State. Then it’s onto the postseason where OU won’t have to leave Central Oklahoma.

With the final road trip coming, what is Alynah Torres thinking ahead of their series with UCF.

“I haven’t really thought about it,” Torres said. “I think it’s going to be bittersweet. It’s going to be a long flight so it’s going to be really cool just sitting there and thinking about it and just having a good time. I think road trips are always fun because that’s when you get closest with your teammates.”

Torres went on to mention she’s excited for this trip in particular because it’ll be the Sooners’ first time to head to UCF as members of the Big 12. What better way to go out than for a series sweep against a conference foe before the start of postseason play in a few weeks?

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‘When they don’t get caught up in outcomes’: Patty Gasso on what calms her team

This senior group has been special for the Sooners but even they have their down times and need something to get them going each year.

The Oklahoma Sooners have 10 seniors on this year’s roster. Five of them have been a part of all three of their national championships.

That would be [autotag]Jayda Coleman[/autotag], [autotag]Tiare Jennings[/autotag], [autotag]Nicole May[/autotag], [autotag]Rylie Boone[/autotag] and [autotag]Kinzie Hansen[/autotag]. [autotag]Alyssa Brito[/autotag] has been a part of two of them, [autotag]Alynah Torres[/autotag] has been a part of one. The other three, [autotag]Kelly Maxwell[/autotag], [autotag]Riley Ludlam[/autotag] and [autotag]Karlie Keeney[/autotag] are new to the team this year.

This season may not have gone like people expected, but the Sooners are still in a strong position to contend for the national title. Despite four losses, the sky certainly isn’t falling.

Patty Gasso shared that sometimes her team gets caught up in the outside noise but there is one thing that gets her seniors going. “When they get lost in the game,” Gasso said. “When they don’t get caught up in outcomes. You’ve seen some really uncharacteristic teams where we’re just getting really mad at ourselves. You might see the slamming of the bat. Something that’s really frustrating them. We try too hard. That is not our game. It just comes super natural because they are that elite of athletes.”

You can tell at times the pressure of winning a fourth title in a row is starting to weigh on them, especially, with all of the outside noise as well. But when they are playing their game, I still think they are the best team in the country regardless of what the standings say.

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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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‘We’re going to fix that’: Patty Gasso on the Sooners leaving too many runners on base

The Oklahoma Sooners are having another really good offensive season, but can improve when they get runners on base.

The Oklahoma Sooners softball team lost another game this weekend giving them four losses on the season. They still won the series over the [autotag]BYU Cougars[/autotag].

But throughout the series, the Sooners’ batters looked off balance, thanks to a really solid performance by the Cougars’ pitching staff. Still, Oklahoma did what they’ve done almost every time they’ve had a letdown: respond.

This team’s issue recently is hitting with runners on. We are not used to seeing this from Oklahoma, but it’s a concern. There have been a number of occasions when a runner runs themselves into an out or gets doubled up on a line drive. Oklahoma just hasn’t been as sound on the base paths or at the plate when they have opportunities to cash in.

Patty Gasso talked about that after Saturday’s win. “We’re getting on but we left 11 runners on base and that’s just too much for this team,” Gasso said. “But we’re getting on base so we can be encouraged by that and we’re going to fix that. I’m certain of that.”

If the Sooners are able to fix that, they probably will win their fourth straight national championship. They’ve been great in 2024 yet again and still, there’s room for improvement, especially with runners on base.

Now, Friday the pitching and defense weren’t great, but it’s been pretty good all year. It’s the hitting that has cost them more than the pitching. They need to find a way pick up if the Sooners want to win the NCAA overall No. 1 seed and win another national title.

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Texas Longhorns shut down Oklahoma Sooners’ high-powered offense

Oklahoma’s offense was held in check in their first conference series loss in over a decade.

The Oklahoma Sooners were unable to leave Austin, TX with a series win over the Texas Longhorns. It was the first time the Sooners dropped a series to their Red River Rivals since 2009. OU took Game 1 but scored two total runs in the next two games, losing both 2-1.

It was shocking to see the nation’s top offense held in check like that. They entered the series averaging nearly 11 runs per game in conference play but mustered just two runs per game against Texas. The Longhorns deserve a lot of credit for how they played, but still, we aren’t used to seeing that from an Oklahoma team.

Alyssa Brito discussed the offensive struggles after the game. “I think that we didn’t adjust when we knew they were making adjustments themselves,” Brito said. “They did a really great job of constantly changing up their plans, and I think that we knew we were better than what we showed and how we responded. But I also just think we need to stay within ourselves. I’m not too worried about it, honestly.”

There isn’t much cause for concern right now with the Sooners and their offense. Coming into the season, the question marks were around the pitching and not the hitting. But the pitching was outstanding against a very good Texas offense.

That’s a positive you can take away. I think the hitting has been so good for so long that they get the benefit of the doubt moving forward.

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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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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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Oklahoma Sooners’ early count aggressiveness key in win

Oklahoma were ultra aggressive earlier in the count than they have at most points during the season and that proved big in their win.

The Oklahoma Sooners had a big challenge when heading into this weekend’s series vs. their Red River rival. Not only do the Texas Longhorns have one of the best offenses in the country, they’ve got a really good pitching staff as well.

The Sooners countered that by being aggressive early and often. That’s not something we’ve seen a whole lot from Oklahoma this year. There are times they are aggressive but I feel like mostly they are really patient hitters.

This game seemed to be different. They had their moments of patience but overall were more aggressive and it paid off.

Jayda Coleman talked about the mindset going into the game. “It was to be aggressive,” Coleman said. “Hit a pitch that we liked to hit. Their pitchers are really good. They paint both sides of the plate. Just getting the pitch that you want and not falling into any traps. I think we did a really good job at doing that today.”

Coleman had another huge day at the plate. She had two hits on four at-bats but drove in four of the five runs, including a three-run home run. She continues her hot streak at the plate which has been big for Oklahoma’s offense

She has four home runs in the Sooners last four games after three a week ago against Kansas. As the Sooners get ready for game two against Texas, they’ll need more of that from their start centerfielder.

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