Oklahoma-Texas softball: Sooners clinch Red River Rivalry series
🏆 Deal shuts down Texas to take Red River Rivalry series
No. 4 Oklahoma shut out No. 3 Texas 7-2 in Game 2 behind Kierston Deal's complete game effort to help the Sooners clinch the Red River Rivalry series. The series win marks OU's fourth of the season and third against a ranked opponent.
Deal was untouchable through the first six innings, becoming a 1-2-3 machine and one-hitting the Longhorns, before Texas made things interesting in the final inning. Down to their last out, the Longhorns strung together three straight hits, including a two-run homer by Victoria Hunter to make it a 7-2 game.
The rally ended there, though, with Deal getting the next batter, Leighann Goode, to fly out to right field and end the contest.
Oklahoma was knocking on the door in the first two innings, leaving one or more runners on base in each frame, but the Sooners kicked down the door in the third and didn't look back. They scored one run in the third, and two each in the next three innings. Third baseman Nelly McEnroe-Marinas and left fielder Abby Dayton shined in the victory with five total RBIs combined. Dayton's three-RBI day was a season-high.
Game 3 will start at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday.
🤯 OU's McEnroe-Marinas mashes homer | Bot 6: OU 7, TEXAS 0
Oklahoma has officially broke the game open.
Nelly McEnroe-Marinas smashed her 14th home run of the season, hitting a two-out, two-RBI big fly to left field. The homer scored Kasidi Pickering, who clobbered a double to right center to start the inning.
Cap'n wants in 💣
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball)
7-0 Sooners!
Pinch hitter Tia Milloy followed it up with a single before Mac Morgan struck out Ailana Agbayani to end the inning.
❗️ Deal continues one-hitter | Top 6: OU 5, TEXAS 0
The Longhorns still haven't found an answer for Kierston Deal, unable to advance Leighann Goode after her walk to start the inning. Ashton Maloney proceeded to foul out to third base, Kayden Henry flied out to center and Mia Scott popped out to shortstop.
Deal hasn't given up a hit since the second inning and is a successful frame away from her second complete game of the season.
all business 💼
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball)
5-0 Sooners through six and half! |
🔴⚪️ Dayton adds to Sooners lead | Bot 5: OU 5, TEXAS 0
The Sooners kept the party going in the fifth, scoring for the third consecutive inning.
Dayton added to her big day, hitting a two-out, two-RBI single up the middle to score McEnroe-Marinas and Chaney Helton, who pinch ran for Ella Parker. The clutch at-bat upped her RBI total to three, a season-high for the junior, and gave Oklahoma a 5-0 lead.
Abby woke up on the clutch side of the bed today ❕
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball)
5-0 Sooners!
Citlaly Gutierrez's day ended after the hit, as Texas turned to right-hander Mac Morgan for relief. She secured the final out, causing Hannah Coor to groundout to third.
🫨 Another 1-2-3 from Deal | Top 5: OU 3, TEXAS 0
Kierston Deal put together her third straight three-up, three-down frame with the help of first baseman and shortstop.
After producing a flyout to start the inning, Deal walked designated hitter Victoria Hunter. Cydney Sanders and Ailana Agbayani picked her up, though, turning a double play to keep her 1-2-3 streak going.
A hot shot to first, Sanders quickly backhanded the one-hopper and fired it to Agbayani at second. Agbayani immediately touched second and threw it back to a moving Sanders who found the first base bag in time to complete 3-6-3 play.
363 DP has got Love's JUMPing ⬆️
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball)
👀 Sooners take 3-0 lead | Bot 4: OU 3, TEXAS 0
Oklahoma added to its lead, tacking on two more runs behind Abby Dayton's RBI double and Kasidi Pickering's sac fly.
Ailana Agbayani started the inning with a single up the middle, and two batters later, Dayton crushed a double to right center to score the shortstop by a hair.
start your engines, we've got some speed on the bases 💨
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball)
Abby doubles home Lana from first!
The party continued, as Hannah Coor ripped a single to right field to put Dayton on third, and Pickering followed with a sac fly to center. The Sooners up their lead to 3-0.
🫡 Deal keeps....DEALING | Top 4: OU 1, TEXAS 0
Kierston Deal manufactured her third 1-2-3 inning out of four frames, trudging through Texas' heart of the lineup with ease.
Mia Scott grounded out to second, Reese Atwood fouled out to first base and Joley Mitchell grounded out to third with the help of third baseman Nelly M-Marinas.
→ across the diamond
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball)
M4 | OU 1, Texas 0
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🔴⚪️ Parker puts OU on the board | Bot 3: OU 1, TEXAS 0
Oklahoma has struck first for the second straight contest, this time with the long ball.
With two outs, Ella Parker hit a solo home run to right field, her seventh homer of the season.
if it's high, let it fly 💣 | ℹ️»
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball)
Gutierrez gave up a single to Nelly McEnroe-Marinas in the next at-bat, but forced Cydney Sanders to ground out to third. The Sooners lead 1-0 entering the fourth inning.
🔥 Deal gets second 1-2-3 of game | Top 3: OU 0, TEXAS 0
Kierston Deal found her first inning rhythm in the third, getting her second three-up, three-down inning of the contest. Second baseman Leighann Goode popped out to third, Ashton Maloney lined out to third and Kayden Henry grounded out to first.
In the 11 batters she has faced, Deal has produced four fly outs and three ground outs.
😅 Gutierrez gets out ANOTHER jam | Bot 2: OU 0, TEXAS 0
For the second consecutive inning, Citlaly Gutierrez bounced back from a bumpy start to the frame and got out of the inning unscathed.
The right-hander hit back-to-back hitters to begin the frame, putting runners on first and second with zero outs. Gutierrez stopped the bleeding after that, producing three straight groundouts and leaving both first baseman Cydney Sanders and second baseman Ailana Agbayani stranded on second and third.
🥊 Deal overcomes error and single | Top 2: OU 0, TEXAS 0
After a silent first, the Longhorns secured their first scoring opportunity of the game during their next time at the plate, putting runners on first and second with one out.
However, Kierston Deal shut it down immediately, punching out back-to-back hitters to get out of the inning. After Deal's final strikeout of the frame against left fielder Vanessa Quiroga, she ripped off her face mask in excitement.
B2B punchies for 💥
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball)
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⚔️ Gutierrez gets out of jam | Bot 1: OU 0, TEXAS 0
Junior right-hander Citlaly Gutierrez rebounded from a rough first two batters, keeping the contest scoreless heading into the second inning.
Before fans at Love's Field could look, Oklahoma had a runner on second with one out. Gutierrez walked right fielder Kasadi Pickering to start the game, and shortstop Gabbie Garcia followed up with a fielder's choice that turned into an error to reach second base.
Gutierrez didn't let it faze her, though, striking out designated hitter Ella Parker and getting third baseman Nelly McEnroe-Marinas to hit a groundout to third and end the inning.
⚔️⚔️⚔️ |
— Texas Softball (@TexasSoftball)
🔥 Deal mows through first | Top 1: OU 0, TEXAS 0
📝 Game 2 starting soon, plus LINEUPS
Game 2 between No. 3 Texas and No. 4 Oklahoma is just a few minutes away from both teams taking the field. The Sooners took Game 1, winning 7-6 behind starting pitcher Sam Landry's complete game.
Here's the starting lineups.
Game 50 🤘 | 💻: SECN+
— Texas Softball (@TexasSoftball)
Game 4️⃣6️⃣
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball)
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⏰ Game two start pushed to 7:30 p.m.
Expected inclement weather has pushed the game two start time back to 7:30 p.m. ET (6:30 local time).
New schedule for Saturday - we'll get things going at 6:30 p.m.
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball)
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