Oklahoma Softball plated 20 runs on Tuesday evening, but Kelly Maxwell is going to be the story people are talking about. The graduate left-handed pitcher threw her first no-hitter as as a Sooner, and the fourth of her career, as the No. 1-ranked team in the nation swept Tarleton State in a midweek doubleheader at Love’s Field on Tuesday evening.
The Sooners (24-1, 3-0 Big 12) downed Tarleton (12-15, 0-0 WAC) 8-0 and 12-1 to take both games of the set. OU closed its inaugural homestand at Love’s Field with a 10-1 record.
Cydney Sanders was another bright spot for Oklahoma on Tuesday. She continued her hot stretch, homering twice and driving in seven runs between the two games. In the month of March, Sanders is slashing .579/.690/1.947 for a 2.637 OPS with eight home runs, two doubles and 22 RBIs.
No. 1/1 Oklahoma 8, Tarleton State 0 (5)
Maxwell improved to 7-0 on the year. A two-out fielding error in the first inning permitted the lone Texan batter to reach before Maxwell sat down the final 13 she faced. The left-hander struck out seven and walked none, throwing 45 of her 61 pitches for strikes (73.8%). She piled up 11 swinging strikes for a stellar 18.0% whiff rate.
Jayda Coleman (1-for-2, R, HR, RBI) opened the scoring with a solo shot on the first pitch she saw to lead off the bottom of the first. OU added two more on a throwing error and a Cydney Sanders (1-for-2, R, HR, 4 RBI) sacrifice fly to take a 3-0 lead into the second.
Tiare Jennings went 1-for-2 with a double in the win, recording her 55th career double to move into a tie for second in program history with Lisa Carey. Jennings needs three more to pass Sydney Romero (56) for the OU record.
No. 1/1 Oklahoma 12, Tarleton State 1 (5)
The Oklahoma lineup provided strong support for right-hander Nicole May in the second game. May struck out four and walked none across 3.0 shutout frames, scattering three hits to improve to 8-0 on the season and enter the program’s top-10 in career wins with No. 55.
Eight straight Sooners reached with two outs in the first inning as part of a seven-run frame, blowing the game open early. Cydney Sanders (1-for-2, R, HR, 3 RBI) blasted a monster three-run shot to begin the scoring, Riley Ludlam (3-for-3, R, 3 RBI) added a two-run single and Hannah Coor (1-for-2, R, HR, 3 RBI) launched a two-run shot for her first collegiate home run to cap off the scoring.
Karlie Keeney closed things out for OU, allowing a run on two hits while fanning three over 2.0 innings of work.
Up Next
OU returns to conference play with a three-game series in Lubbock at RV/NR Texas Tech beginning Friday, March 15 at 6 p.m. Game two of the series is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday with a noon Sunday finale.