Oklahoma Softball: Takeaways From Sooners’ 11th Consecutive Win, 3-1 Over Texas

The Sooners are struggling a bit at Texas in baseball this weekend, but for Oklahoma softball, the outcome has been quite the opposite.

Oklahoma clinched a series win in softball with a 3-1 victory over the Longhorns at Red and Charline McCombs Field, the home of Texas softball in Austin. The win on Saturday marked the ninth consecutive time OU has come out on top in softball over their archrival from south of the Red River.

This particular weekend the Red River rivalry is in double swing on the diamond with both the Sooner baseball and softball teams visiting the Texas capitol for weekend series.

While the Oklahoma men have fallen in their first two baseball contests with the Longhorns (5-3 on Friday and 9-3 on Saturday afternoon), ending their streak of two consecutive Big 12 series wins this season, the defending national-champion Sooner softball team upped their consecutive-game win streak in Big 12 play to 20.

Even more impressive is the fact the OU’s win on softball on Saturday ensured the Sooners of a 39th consecutive series win against Big 12 opponents. Oklahoma is 35-0-4 during that time span.

The ninth-ranked Sooners, according to the latest ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25, improved their overall record this season to 34-7 and 5-0 in the Big 12. Oklahoma’s road dominance has been a major story line this year and last. OU has not lost a true road game on the softball diamond in an almost unbelievable 17 successive starts. That includes seven true road victories this season.

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Oklahoma’s 20 consecutive Big 12 wins dates back to last season, and ranks as the second longest such streak in Sooner softball history.

Freshman starter Mariah Lopez was the star of the game on Saturday going four and two-thirds innings, giving up just two hits and one run, in recording her 12th win of the season with just one loss.

Lopez did not allow the first Longhorn hit until the fifth inning. The Longhorns got just two hits the entire game.

The Sooners scored in the first inning for the ninth straight game and added two more insurance runs in the fifth, which stood up the rest of the way, giving Oklahoma its ninth consecutive softball win over the Longhorns and clinching its seventh consecutive win in the Red River rivalry series. OU is 6-0-1 over Texas since 2009.

Junior Paige Lowary came on in relief of Lopez with two outs in the fifth, and mowed down the Texas hitters over the final two and a third innings, allowing no runs, no hits and no walks to close out the victory. It was Lowary’s fourth save of the season, which ties former Sooner Shelby Pendley for most saves in a season in program history.

The Sooners closeout their softball series with the Longhorns with an afternoon game on Sunday. OU is 36-24 all-time against the Longhorns. That includes a 13-9 record in games played in Austin.