© Briana Sanchez/American-Statesman / USA
OU Softball: No. 4 Texas Upsets No. 1 Oklahoma, Levels Series
A pair of RBI-doubles in the fourth inning fueled Texas to a massive victory on Saturday to keep the Longhorns in the 2024 Big 12 Conference race.
AUSTIN, TX — For the second time this year, Oklahoma’s nation-leading win streak has been snapped.
A pair of RBI doubles from Viviana Martinez and Katie Stewart gave Texas a lead over OU, but the Longhorns needed a dramatic defensive play in the seventh inning to end it.
The No. 4-ranked Longhorns held on for a 2-1 victory over the top-ranked Sooners on Saturday night at Red & Charline McCombs Field.
Texas pitcher Citlaly Gutierrez pitched a gem, holding Oklahoma’s offense down for six innings to level the series between the Red River Rivals.
But it wasn't over until Maya Bland was thrown out at home with two out in the seventh after a double by Rylie Boone. Center fielder Kayden Henry chased down Boone's ball at the wall, relayed to shortstop Viviana Martinez, who threw home to catcher Reese Atwood. Atwood came up the line to make the catch ahead of Bland's slide. Umpires reviewed the play for obstruction, but Bland was ruled out and the game was over, allowing Texas’ joyous celebration to continue in front of the dugout.
“It's a tough call really,” OU coach Patty Gasso said after the game. “I have to challenge it but the catcher's going for the ball but we're also going for the plate, so who do you give it to. And once they review it, there's nothing I can do about it.”
WATCH: Oklahoma postgame press conference
WATCH: Texas postgame press conference
Still, with reigning National Player of the Week Jayda Coleman waiting on deck, Gasso never thought about holding Bland at third.
“We're playing to win,” Gasso said. “So that's the tying run and we have Boone at third with Jayda up, we're playing to win. So they have to make a perfect relay so it works for them.”
Texas snapped Oklahoma’s 16-game winning streak, and broke the Sooners’ 40-game winning streak in Big 12 play that stretched back to the Longhorns’ victory over OU in the 2022 series finale between the SEC-bound powers.
The Sooners’ single run was also the lowest scoring output in a loss since OU lost to Alabama 1-0 in eight innings at the 2019 Women’s College World Series.
Oklahoma dropped to 35-2 on the year and 13-1 in Big 12 action, and Texas improved to 30-6 overall and 10-5 in league play.
Despite the Longhorns’ hopes to carry momentum from Friday’s seventh inning into Saturday, the Sooners jumped on top early.
Jayda Coleman singled and Kasidi Pickering doubled high off the Texas-sized outfield wall, putting runners on second and third with two outs for Tiare Jennings.
OU’s clutch senior delivered, dropping a single into the outfield shallows to bring home Coleman.
The Sooners might have had a chance to score two off the hit, but Pickering, a true freshman, mistakingly worked back to second base to tag up instead of bolting when the ball left the bat.
Gasso didn’t have a chance to send Pickering home as a result, and Alynah Torres’ grounded out in the next at-bat to close out the frame.
“(The) perspective (on the play) is a freshman who froze,” Gasso said. “There were two outs, she should be moving. We talked about it. And those are the wonderful things that we're experiencing is high-energy crowds, big moments, and these freshmen need to feel that, so that will never happen again but that did hurt us a bit.”
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Gutierrez then settled in. The Torres out to end the first inning kicked off a run where she retired 11-straight OU batters, giving her offense room to breathe.
The Longhorns had an excellent opportunity to level the game in the second inning.
Martinez looped a ball into the left field corner to reach safely with a one-out double, bringing the crowd to its feet.
Stewart, the Texas freshman, battled May through a long at-bat, fouling off three offerings before eventually striking out, but Henry stepped in and attacked May early.
She fouled off the first pitch before hammering a line drive into left field, but Boone got a great jump and was able to reach over her head and record the out to save a run and close out the inning.
Martinez and Stewart combined to do real damage in the fourth inning.
First, Martinez tied the game with another double. The ball bounced off the bottom of the wall, preventing Boone from attempting to throw Mia Scott out at the plate.
Stewart then traded places with Martinez, hammering a double of her own to give Texas its first lead of the series at 2-1.
May got out of the fourth and carried on into the fifth.
Gasso then opted to bring Kierston Deal in for May in the bottom of the fifth inning with two outs. May ended the night with six strikeouts while she allowed a walk and five hits.
Deal got out of the fifth with a ground ball that Jennings fired over to Cydney Sanders at first.
Oklahoma designated player Ella Parker got hit by the first pitch of the sixth inning, giving the Sooners a baserunner to try and get back into the game.
Alyssa Brito flew out for the first out of the inning, but a wild pitch to Pickering allowed Parker to take second.
Unbothered by Parker moving into scoring position, Gutierrez bowed up and sat both Pickering and Jennings down to end the threat.
“Gutierrez had a great game,” OU catcher Kinzie Hansen said. “She's a great pitcher. She did a great job spreading out timing with her little offspeed and coming inside with that fastball.
“… We didn't make adjustments fast enough, which is very uncharacteristic for our lineup so we definitely are reaping the consequences of that but I'm excited to see what it looks like going forward because whenever this does happen, our adjustments are much more efficient.”
The wheels then nearly fell off the wagon for Oklahoma.
Deal hit Atwood to lead off the bottom of the sixth, prompting Gasso to bring Paytn Monticelli in to pitch.
Monticelli issued a walk and Martinez’s excellent night continued with a bunt single, loading the bases with no outs.
Gasso then made her second trip to the circle of the inning, pulling Monticelli in favor of graduate transfer Karlie Keeney.
Keeney didn’t fare much better. Her third pitch was crushed by Stewart to the wall, plating a pair of runs — or so Texas thought.
Gasso challenged the play, asserting that Adayah Wallace left second base early. Replays showed the OU coach was right, wiping the runs off the board and sending Stewart back to the plate with runners on the corners.
Stewart popped up, but Keeney handed out a free pass on a walk, loading the bases with two outs for pinch-hitter Katie Cimusz. Keeney escaped the jam with a ground ball, keeping the deficit at a single run for OU's sputtering offense and setting up the crazy seventh inning.
“Great game,” Gasso said. “It was exciting for fans, exciting for TV, some good plays, great plays, on both sides.
“The environment was fabulous and to be quite honest with you, I feel honored that teams are so excited when they beat us… Means you’re doing something well. We’ve just gotta get back on the horse, so to speak, and get after it and see what we’re like coming after a loss.”
The teams meet again Sunday in a 1 p.m. rubber match. That game will be televised on Longhorn Network.
