© SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY
OU Softball: Oklahoma Bounces Back to Take Series Over BYU
The Sooners erased a shaky Friday outing with a strong performance to take Game 3 over the Cougars on Saturday.
NORMAN — Oklahoma got back to its winning ways on Saturday.
After a head-scratching Friday showing against BYU, there was no flashy six-run inning to bust open the series finale at Love’s Field.
Instead, OU steadily applied pressure, pulling away from the Cougars to win 7-3 and take the series.
Third baseman Alyssa Brito starred for the Sooners as her four-RBI day combined with another excellent outing from Kelly Maxwell to fire Oklahoma to victory.
The Sooners, still on top of the Big 12, improved to 38-4 overall on the year and 15-3 in conference action while BYU fell to 22-19 and 5-13.
Final Box Score
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OU coach Patty Gasso said she got the response she wanted out of her team following Friday’s loss.
“Proud. They were fighting,” Gasso said after the game. “When things aren’t clicking on all cylinders, it can get really frustrating. You could see a little bit of that. A little more poise, more focus, fighting with two strikes, did a good job of that.
“… Our plans were better. We just talked about throwing punches and really fighting. I felt much better today.”
Oklahoma took advantage of a pair of BYU mistakes to take an early lead on Saturday.
Kinzie Hansen stepped up to the plate with Tiare Jennings on third and two outs, looking to put OU on top in the bottom of the first.
She popped the second pitch of the at-bat up behind the plate, but BYU catcher Hailey Morrow didn’t track the ball off the bat, missing the opportunity to record the out in foul territory and end the inning.
Hansen reset and after fouling off another pair of pitches, she lifted a ball into right field.
With second baseman Keila Kamoku charging the ball as well, right fielder Aleia Agbayani dropped the ball, putting the Cougars in an early 1-0 hole.
WATCH: OU-BYU Postgame Press Conference (Game 3)
Maddie Udall erased the mistake, tying the game at 1-1 with a solo home run in the second inning, but OU got back to work in the third.
Jennings walked, Ella Parker got hit by a pitch and an Alynah Torres single loaded the bases for Brito, and she delivered a two-out single to open up a 3-1 lead for Oklahoma.
Rylie Boone’s leadoff walk amounted to nothing in the fourth inning, but the Sooners put the game away in the fifth.
Torres’ single converted Hansen’s leadoff double into a run, and then Brito continued her excellent afternoon.
Unbothered by the full-count, Brito hammered a no-doubter, igniting the OU dugout and Love’s Field alike to put the Sooners up 6-1.
Brito credited her Saturday success to making a small adjustment from Friday.
“Today I really wanted to make adjustments as far as taking away the offspeed,” she said. “I knew that was something that they were consistently going to against me. So honestly, just digging in finding an elevated pitch was what I was wanting and just hitting it hard. Not trying to press or do too much and just let it come as it is.”
Oklahoma had a chance to end the contest shortly after Brito’s home run.
Cydney Sanders, Jayda Coleman and Jennings all drew walks, bringing Parker up with two outs and a chance to notch a run-rule victory.
Parker didn’t force it, and singled back to the shortstop to extend the lead to 7-1.
Hansen grounded out to end the inning, sending the game to the sixth.
Maxwell worked around a bases-loaded jam in the sixth inning to keep the Cougars off the board which was the first real speed bump of an otherwise strong performance.
Agbayani got a pair of runs back in the top of the seventh for BYU with a two-run bomb, but Maxwell was left in the game to record the final two outs to close out the win.
She allowed six hits and two walks in seven innings of work and struck out six BYU batters.
“I’m really proud of her,” Gasso said. “There were times when I didn’t know if she was feeling her best. Elite athletes just let that go. They don’t let it be an excuse. Kept getting after it and getting after it. I’m proud of that, great accomplishment for Kelly.”
Brito finished the game 3-for-4 at the plate, and Hansen extended her team-leading hit streak to 10 games with her fifth inning double.
The Sooners will return to action early next week.
Oklahoma will take on the Tulsa Golden Hurricane ad Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City on Tuesday at 6 p.m. in a contest that will be broadcast on ESPN+ before next weekend’s Big 12 series against Houston.
