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Oklahoma softball: OU extends Big 12 shutout streak to seven straight games

By Chip Rouse

Oklahoma's Grace Lyons (3) celebrates a home run next to Texas Tech's Ellie Bailey (12) in the second inning during the college softball game between Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Tech Red Raiders at the Marita Hynes Field in Norman, Okla., Saturday, April, 8, 2023. .ousoft -- print1
Oklahoma's Grace Lyons (3) celebrates a home run next to Texas Tech's Ellie Bailey (12) in the second inning during the college softball game between Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Tech Red Raiders at the Marita Hynes Field in Norman, Okla., Saturday, April, 8, 2023. .ousoft -- print1 /
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No. 1-ranked Oklahoma softball ran its shutout streak to seven straight Big 12 games defeating Kansas 6-0 on Friday afternoon.

Back-to-back-to-back home runs by Grace Lyons, Alyssa Brito and Kinzie Hansen powered a four-run second inning by the Sooners off of Kansas starter Kasey Hamilton and paved the way for Oklahoma’s 35th straight win and 43rd of the season against one loss.

Jayda Coleman added another home run, a solo shot in the fourth inning, her 12th of the season, to increase the OU lead to 5-0, and the Sooners scored three more on three hits in the fifth to end the game by run-rule. It was the 22nd time this season Oklahoma has recorded a run-rule victory and the nation-best 27th time the Sooners have won by a shutout.

Oklahoma starter Jordy Bahl allowed just four hits and struck out seven Kansas batters without issuing a walk. It was another superb pitching performance by the Sooner sophomore, who earned her 14th win of the season. Savanna DesRochers, who came on in relief of starter Hamilton in the second inning, was charged with the loss for Kansas.

Bahl also contributed to the OU run production, driving in the final two runs with a single in the fifth inning in her only at bat in the game.

Lyons, Brito and Hansen each had two hits for the Sooners, who collected nine for the afternoon. The four Oklahoma home runs gives the Sooners 84 for the season, second most in Division I softball.

Oklahoma has allowed just two runs in its last nine games and has not given up a run in 49 consecutive innings against a Big 12 opponent. The Sooners are now one game shy of guaranteeing no worse than a share of the Big 12 regular-season title. A series sweep of the Jayhawks would clinch OU’s unprecedented 11th consecutive Big 12 regular-season championship and 15th all time.

This was Oklahoma’s 17 consecutive win over Kansas. The series continues on Saturday afternoon at Marita Hynes Field with the first pitch at 2 p.m. CT. Sunday afternoon’s game will start at 1 p.m..

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