In the second game of the Red River Rivalry at Red and Charline McCombs Field in Austin, Texas, the top-ranked Sooners lost 2-1 to No. 4 Texas after a contentious play was reviewed for obstruction. The umpires’ decision finally favored Texas.
Against Texas on Saturday, Oklahoma had a number of streaks on the line.
OU had a 17-game winning streak overall, nine straight Big 12 regular-season victories, and a 40-game winning streak against Texas. Again this season, the 17 games became the longest run of consecutive games in softball.
So there was a lot of anxiety in the air when Maya Bland entered to run for Kinzie Hansen and made her way from first to home. When she was ejected for the game’s last out, there was still more.
In the second game of the Red River Rivalry at Red and Charline McCombs Field in Austin, Texas, the top-ranked Sooners lost 2-1 to No. 4 Texas after the play was reviewed for obstruction. The umpires’ decision eventually favored Texas.
The Sooners had a chance in the seventh inning after OU won an important challenge earlier in the game, but they were unable to muster enough hits.
I questioned Gasso if the squad is under any more pressure because of OU’s recent success (35-2, 13-1 Big 12).
Without a doubt not, Gasso replied. “We simply want to win games; it’s fantastic if they go together. It’s okay if we lose one in between. We are capable of responding, and we do so swiftly. I have no reservations at this time because that is the mindset we have always had. This time of year, we’re just trying to play the best softball possible. I sensed last week that it’s time to start stepping it up.”
On Saturday night, the Sooners got underway early. Jayda Coleman hit a single to start the game. At the top of the first, with two outs, the Sooners had runners in second and third after Kasidi Pickering hit a double to left.
The two teams engaged in a defensive struggle save for the lone run. However, Texas took the lead in the fourth inning’s bottom half. Scott launched it with the first single. After that, May struck out Washington and Atwood, two of Texas’s most potent hitters, but Martinez managed to smash an RBI double up the middle. After one hitter, Stewart doubled for two runs, giving Texas a 2-1 lead.
OU hadn’t trailed since March 9, that was against Iowa State in the first inning.
In the 5th, Kinzie Hansen gave OU their first base runner since the first inning with a single to left. But after an Alyssa Brito strikeout and a Coleman fly out, the Sooners couldn’t get anything out of it.
After May struck out back-to-back batters in the fifth inning, she was replaced by Kiersten Deal. May finished with six strikeouts but gave up five hits and two runs in her outing. And Patyn Monticelli came in to pitch in the 6th inning after Deal hit Atwood to give Texas an early baserunner.
Monticelli then walked the runner as Texas had runners on first and second with nobody out. Martinez then bunted the ball for a single to load the bases. So, Karlie Keeney was asked to replace Monticelli in the circle for the Sooners.
There, it looked like Katie Stewart made the Sooners pay, hitting a 2-run double off the wall to give Texas a 4-1 lead with nobody out in the bottom of the 6th. But Gasso played her card. The Texas baserunner left second early and Gasso’s challenge was ruled successful. That made it runners at first and third with one out. That put the score back at 2-1. And OU got out of it.
The last effort for OU, Hansen hit a single up the middle and Maya Bland came in to run for her. And the game would come down to the play at home.
