The Texas Longhorns softball season came to an end on Thursday night as the Oklahoma Sooners won their record fourth straight title. Oklahoma swept Texas with the 8-4 win on Thursday.
Texas would strike first in the second inning following the walk to catcher Reese Atwood and then Joley Mitchell. Centerfielder Kayden Henry drove Atwood around to draw first blood and give the Longhorns a 1-0 lead.
In the bottom of the second, Oklahoma’s Alyssa Brito would respond with a double off the wall. Two batters later rightfielder Kasidi Pickering knocked one out to take the lead at 2-1. The inning would end when head coach Mike White challenged that Oklahoma runner left base early, Rylie Boone was ruled out to end the Sooners’ threat.
Texas would knock Oklahoma pitcher Karlie Keeney out of the game with some two-out rally magic. Martinez would single up the middle and move to third on the single to right by Atwood. After a walk to Katie Stewart, the captain hit an RBI single up the middle. New pitcher Paytn Monticelli forced Mitchell to ground out to first to end the inning, leaving the game tied at 2-2.
The Longhorns would get back on top in the fourth when Henry singled and moved to second on a stolen base. She would get to third on a bunt by Dayton and scored on the error by Avery Hodge on a Mia Scott rocket hit into right field.
It wouldn’t last with Oklahoma coming to bat in the bottom of the inning. They would load the bases and were quickly unloaded on a bases clearing double off the bat of Cydney Sanders to jump ahead 5-3. Oklahoma would add three more runs in bottom of the sixth to build the lead to 8-4.
Oklahoma once again proved why they are at the top of the sport.