Oklahoma softball falls in Bedlam do-over in Big 12 Tournament championship

Oklahoma softball went down for only the second time this season on Saturday.

The Big 12 Champion and defending national champion Oklahoma Sooners have lost just twice in 51 games this season. On a bright, sunny aftertnoon at Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City on Saturday, the Oklahoma State Cowgirls edged the top-ranked Sooners 4-3 in eight innings to capture their first Big 12 Tournament championship.

The Bedlam rematch was an epic clash of two teams that have a great chance to make it back to Oklahoma City for the Women’s College World Series.

For Oklahoma, it started out looking like just another day at the ole ballpark as the Sooners took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the 3rd inning. Oklahoma scored on an RBI single from Tiare Jennings, then Grace Lyons reached on an error, which scored another run, this time unearned.

The Sooners lead did not hold up long as Oklahoma State a Hayley Busby single scored a run for Oklahoma State, as did a Taylor Tuck sacrifice fly in the top of the 4th inning.

In the 5th inning, Oklahoma State got creative, scoring a run as Cheyenne Factor baited a Sooner throw in a rundown after landing a bunt. She attempted to take second base, allowing Chelsea Alexander to score from third base.

In the bottom of the 5th, Jocelyn Alo   blasted a long ball over two left-field fences in Hall of Fame Stadium, her 25th of the season, to knot things back up at 3-3.

In the gem of a defensive game by both sides, OU shortstop Grace Lyons would have impressed Patrick Mahomes with a throw from her knees to get an out at first base.

It was a great play. Extra softball was on the menu, as the score remained deadlocked after an official seven innings.

The game would go back and forth, as the bitter rivals traded blows back and forth. Hope Trautwein who had come in to relieve Nicole May in the circle for the Sooners, came out of the game in favor of May with the bases loaded in the top of the 8th.

When it looked like OU might have fought its way out of a bases-loaded jam, May walked OSU’s Kiley Naomi, allowing the winning run to score. Oklahoma had an opportunity to tie or walk things off itself in the bottom half of the frame. However, all the Sooners could manage was getting Brito on base on an error.

What does this mean in the grand scheme of things? Ultimately not much for Oklahoma.

The Sooners are still clearly the top team in the country, and played the game without their top pitching ace, Jordy Bahl, who rested this weekend due to arm soreness. While that is no crutch or excuse for Oklahoma because the Sooners have two other very good pitchers, getting Bahl back will be a big deal.

Also, in terms of postseason seeding for the NCAA Softball Championship, it makes no true difference. It was already clear Oklahoma would be the No. 1 seed regardless of Saturday’s result.

Where it may sting for the Sooners is simply when this loss took place. Iit is never easy to lose a conference championship game. This team may not be consciously chasing it, but this Oklahoma team has a chance to go down as the greatest softball team of all-time. This loss may be a key comparison in that media-fan led discussion.

For the Cowgirls, the win was enormous. The Cowgirls had lost five straight games coming into the conference tournament: two to Florida State in Tallahassee, then three times to the Sooners in Norman.

Oklahoma State added to its resume with a quality win over Texas in the opening round of the Big 12 Championship, and a monumental win over Oklahoma on the biggest stage. That win certainly appeared to have put any thought to Oklahoma State being outside the top eight in the country to rest.

The Cowgirls more or less clinched themselves a top-eight national seed, which means if they win their regional, they could also host a super regional. This would mean the Cowgirls would not need to leave the state of Oklahoma again for the rest of their season regardless of where things finish up.

Selection Sunday is tomorrow. We know both of these teams will host a regional next weekend, so who will their opponents be?