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OU Softball: Oklahoma Sweeps Baylor, Pulls Big 12 Title Within Reach

The Sooners completed a sweep over the Baylor Bears with a pair of victories on Saturday afternoon.
Ryan Chapman|
OU Softball: Oklahoma Sweeps Baylor, Pulls Big 12 Title Within Reach
OU Softball: Oklahoma Sweeps Baylor, Pulls Big 12 Title Within Reach

Oklahoma’s hold on the Big 12 tightened on Saturday.

While the Texas Longhorns completed a sweep of the Oklahoma State Cowgirls, the Sooners also won a double-header south of the Red River to bring an 11th-straight regular season conference title into view.

OU won both contests against the No. 16-ranked Baylor Bears in Waco, pushing Oklahoma’s record to 42-1 and extending the win streak for the nation’s top-ranked squad to 34 games.

The pair of wins on the day didn’t come without a fight, however.

Timely hitting proved to be the key in both contests, as the Sooners started the day with a 4-0 win in Game One.

After right-handed pitcher Jordy Bahl shut the Baylor lineup down on Friday night, OU coach Patty Gasso threw Alex Storako to start Saturday.

Though the strikeout numbers stayed down, Storako still controlled the Bears’ lineup.

Allowing four hits and three walks in 6 1/3 innings of work, the super senior was especially clutch in the third and fourth innings.

Baylor runners advanced to third in both of those frames, but Storako trusted her defense to get out of the jam.

In the third inning, she threw two straight strikes before inducing a groundout from Amber Toven to end the inning.

Storako needed her defense in the fourth inning, as a ball put in play in the infield turned into two outs for the Sooners, including a play at the plate to keep the shutout intact.

Finally, OU’s offense broke through in the sixth inning.

Tiare Jennings took four straight balls to start the inning, and then pounced on a passed ball to move up one base to second.

Then Kinzie Hansen delivered.

The Sooner catcher smacked a ball to left field, and Baylor’s Taylor Strain was unable to make the diving catch. Instead, she spilled the ball into foul territory, giving Jennings plenty of time to cross home safely and letting Hansen slide into third base.

A Sophia Nugent walk then set the table for Cydney Sanders to continue her hot hitting streak, as she blasted her second homer of the weekend to put OU up 4-0.

Nicole May then entered the contest in the seventh inning to shut the door on the Bears, sealing the win at Getterman Stadium.

The seventh inning cameo only started May’s day, as she got the nod in the circle for Game Two.

May went the distance, allowing just two hits and three walks in Oklahoma’s 2-0 victory to clinch the sweep.

And while OU’s offense was relatively kept in check, it struck early.

Jennings belted a first inning bomb to left, and Alyssa Brito followed her up with a solo-blast of her own in the second inning to pace the Sooners.

Oklahoma racked up seven hits in the second game of the day, but was ultimately unable to heap on any more damage as OU left nine runners on base.

But May didn’t need any help.

Toven reached second base in the first inning, and that was as far as any Bear would get on the base paths due to May’s stellar pitching performance.

OU had a chance to bust the game open in the fifth inning, moving a pair of runners into scoring position with just one out, but Nugent and Grace Lyons recorded back-to-back outs to end the inning.

The Sooners stranded another pair in the seventh inning, but they moved one step closer to the Big 12 crown all the same.

Oklahoma’s road ahead is now simple — sweep Kansas next weekend and the Sooners will clinch the regular season title at Marita Hynes Field on Senior Day.

Texas’ sweep of OSU meant that every other team in the conference has at least four Big 12 losses, and three wins over the Jayhawks will ensure that the Bedlam Series will only have pride and bragging rights on the line.

Before Oklahoma can turn its attention to Kansas, it has a pair of midweek games to attend to.

Up first, the Sooners are scheduled to travel to Wichita State on Tuesday night before bouncing over to Tulsa to square off against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane on Wednesday. 

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Ryan Chapman
RYAN CHAPMAN

Ryan is co-publisher at Sooners On SI and covers a number of sports in and around Norman and Oklahoma City. Working both as a journalist and a sports talk radio host, Ryan has covered the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the United States Men’s National Soccer Team, the Oklahoma City Energy and more. Since 2019, Ryan has simultaneously pursued a career as both a writer and a sports talk radio host, working for the Flagship for Oklahoma sports, 107.7 The Franchise, as well as AllSooners.com. Ryan serves as a contributor to The Franchise’s website, TheFranchiseOK.com, which was recognized as having the “Best Website” in 2022 by the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters. Ryan holds an associate’s degree in Journalism from Oklahoma City Community College in Oklahoma City, OK. 

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