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Oklahoma softball: Sooners sweep Kansas series, win 2023 Big 12 title outright

By Chip Rouse

Oklahoma's Tiare Jennings (23) drives in a run in the first inning of a college softball game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Texas Longhorns at USA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Friday, March 31, 2023.Ou Softball Vs Texas
Oklahoma's Tiare Jennings (23) drives in a run in the first inning of a college softball game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Texas Longhorns at USA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Friday, March 31, 2023.Ou Softball Vs Texas /
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The shutout streak ended but not the win streak as top-ranked Oklahoma softball scored seven runs in the first three innings and cruised to an 8-2 win on Sunday and a series sweep over visiting Kansas.

Tiare Jennings collected four hits in five trips to the plate, including a big three-run rocket over the left-field fence in the third inning, and Sooner leadoff hitter Jayda Coleman added a couple of hits and two RBI of her own to lead the Oklahoma attack. The top two Sooners in the batting order, Coleman and Jennings contributed half of Oklahoma’s 12 hits and accounted for five of the eight runs.

The Jayhawks (22-23, 4-11) scored a run in the top of the first inning, ending a 54-inning scoreless streak by the OU pitching staff against Big 12 opponents.

Kansas added another run in the third, but that was all the Jayhawks were able to get off of OU starter Alex Storako, who gave up just two hits and struck out six in 5.1 innings to earn her 15th win of the season without a loss. Jordy Bahl, who started and won Game 1 in the series finished off the last 1.2 innings, striking out three of the seven batters she faced and allowing just one hit.

Oklahoma committed an uncharacteristic two errors in the game, but neither cost them a run.

The Sooners improved to 45-1 on the season and a perfect 15-0 in the Big 12. With the series sweep, OU clinched its 11th straight Big 12 regular-season championship and 15th overall. The Sooners also extended their nation-best 37th consecutive win.

This was Senior Day at OU and the Sooners’ last regular-season home game (they will host an NCAA Regional), and four OU players — Storako, Haley Lee, Grace Lyons and Grace Green — were honored in a ceremony after the game.

Head coach Patty Gasso took the opportunity in the sixth inning to honor each of the seniors, withdrawing them from the game, one by one, to allow fans at Marita Hynes Field to acknowledge them with a standing ovation.

The Sooners next game will be a Bedlam showdown next weekend against 7th-ranked Oklahoma State (41-9, 10-5) in Stillwater.

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