Oklahoma softball: Sooners sweep Iowa State with 14-1 win on Sunday

The Oklahoma softball team completed a weekend sweep of the Iowa State Cyclones with a 14-1 run-rule victory in the series finale on Sunday at Love's Field.

The lethal combination of power-laden offense, lockdown pitching and defensive excellence was back in full force for the Sooners in the series finale with Iowa State.

Oklahoma unloaded with five long balls, including three in an eight-run third inning that all but put this game on ice. Senior All-American Tiare Jennings got things started with a three-run blast in the first inning. Kinzie Hansen left the yard with two on base in the third, and in the same inning, Cydney Sanders hit her fourth home run of the series and eighth of the season, this time with two on, and freshman Ella Parker joined the fun with a two-run blast to dead center.

The score was 11-0 at the end of three innings, but Oklahoma wasn't quite done. The Sooners posted three more runs in the fourth, all coming on a three-run round-tripper by second baseman Quincee Lilo. Iowa State scored its lone run in the top of the inning on a solo home run by Carli Spelhaug.

Parker was three-for-three for the Sooners with a couple of runs batted in and two runs scored. In all 13 of the 14 Oklahoma players who saw action in the game reached base. But it wasn't just the Sooner bats that took command of the game.

Kierstin Deal, the OU starter, was dominant in the circle. The sophomore left-hander worked the first 3.0 innings and retired nine of the 11 batters she faced. She yielded only a single and a hit batter while striking out four. She extended her scoreless innings to 22.0 and earned her fifth win of the season without a loss.

Wisconsin transfer Paytn Monticelli and SJ Geurin worked the final 2.0 innings. Monticelli retired four of the five she faced, striking out three, and Geurin recorded the final two outs of the fifth.

After having its NCAA record 71 game winning streak snapped last weekend in OU's home opening series, the Sooners have begun a new streak with four straight wins to improve to 22-1 on the year.

OU's 4-0 shutout win in Game 1 on Saturday was its 13th of the season, and the two run-rule victories over the Cyclones give the Sooners 12 for the season. Oklahoma has won 94 of its last 96 Big 12 games and 54 consecutive series against conference opponents.

OU softball is next in action on Tuesday, when the Sooners will host Tarleton State University in a doubleheader at Love's Field, This weekend, the Sooners will play at three-game series at Texas Tech