OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla – After failing to win the Big 12 regular season championship for the first time since 2011, the Oklahoma Sooners managed to walk away on top of the conference they’ve thoroughly dominated over the last two decades with a 5-1 win over Texas in the Big 12 Championship final on Saturday night.
The Sooners jumped all over the top-ranked Longhorns from the beginning, scoring two runs in the opening frame after an RBI double from Tiare Jennings and an RBI single from Kinzie Hansen.
Texas would get one run back in the second inning after an RBI triple from Kayden Henry, but that would be the extent of the Longhorns’ offensive damage on the day, as the Sooners were absolutely brilliant in the circle.
Senior Kelly Maxwell (18-2) was truly superb in the biggest game of the season, going 5.1 IP against the hottest offense in the country and allowing just two hits, one earned run, and three walks. She managed to fan seven batters and held the Longhorns to a batting average of .111 (2-of-18) during her time in the circle.
Nicole May relieved Maxwell in the sixth and was masterful in 1.2 IP, slamming the door on Texas’ offense with three strikeouts, no hits, and no walks.
On the other side of things, Texas’ Citlaly Gutierrez (10-1) suffered her first loss of the season after giving up seven hits and five runs, just three of which were earned. It was an impressive outing from the sophomore, though, as she went a full 7.0 IP with 10 strikeouts against the Sooners.
Overall, Oklahoma was 7-for-29 (.241) at the plate, while Texas was just 2-of-23 (.087) on the night. The one-run performance was the fewest runs Texas has scored since being shut out against Oklahoma State on March 30.
The Longhorns had scored 13 or more runs in five consecutive games leading into tonight’s matchup, and 77 runs total in that same stretch.
Oklahoma’s win likely puts them in the catbird seat when it comes to earning the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament, while Texas could also still retain that spot and would be no lower than two if they were to drop.
There’s a very real chance that these two will meet again in June on this very same field, with a whole lot more on the line.
