Oklahoma softball sweeps series with Kansas, runs record to 34-1
By Chip Rouse
Tiare Jennings and Alyssa Brito each hit their third home run in as many days and Nicole May . the winning pitcher on Friday, shut down a Kansas rally in the bottom of the seventh inning as the Sooners completed a three-game road sweep of the No. 24 Jayhawks with a 7-3 win on Saturday.
The top-ranked Sooners have now won 22 consecutive games against the Jayhawks. Kansas (22-11, 7-5) came into the series as one of the hottest teams in the Big 12, having won 19 of its last 22 games.
The top-four hitters in the Oklahoma lineup accounted for 10 of the 11 Sooner hits, including three home runs. Jennings and Alyssa Brito homered back to back in the first inning. Jennings' blast over the left-center field fence came with a runner on. Jayda Coleman hit a solo home run in the second, her eighth of the season and third in two days. In all, Oklahoma knocked 10 dingers out of the park over the three days.
Coleman was six for seven at the plate in the series and also collected seven walks. She reached base 13 times out of 14 plate appearances.
Jennings' three home runs in the series give her a Big 12-best 15 for the season. had home runs on Friday and Saturday, ranks second in the Big 12 with 14.
If you looked at the line score in the game and nothing else, you would have thought that it was Kansas that used five pitchers and not the Sooners. But it was the other way around. The Jayhawk starter, Kasey Hamilton pitched a complete game, allowing all seven Oklahoma runs on 11 hits, striking out two and walking eight. Hamilton was charged with the loss, her seventh along with nine wins.
Sophomore Kiersten Deal started in the circle for Oklahoma. She worked the first 2.1 innings before giving way to Karli Keeney with one out an nobody on base in the third. SJ Geurin, Paytn Monticelli and May followed, with May entering the contest in the seventh with the bases loaded and one out. The first batter she faced stroked a single to left, scoring two runs, but May retired the next to hitters to shut off the rally and close out the win for the Sooners.
Oklahoma pitchers had thrown a shut out through five innings, but Kansas pushed across a run in the sixth inning and two more in the seventh.
For the three games, Oklahoma outscored Kansas 30-4 and out-hit the Jayhawks 35-8.
The Sooners don't play again until next weekend, when they head to Austin for a three-game series with Texas and what could be the biggest series of the season for Oklahoma. The Longhorns are currently 9-4 and in third place in the Big 12 standings, four games back of the Sooners.