OU softball begins Big 12 Tournament in style, 10-1
OKLAHOMA CITY – That’s a little more like it for OU softball fans. And probably a little more like it for head coach Patty Gasso.
No issues, no drama, statement made. Check the box off, and let’s go to the semifinals. The Sooners struck early and never let up in a 10-1 five-inning, run-rule victory against Kansas on Thursday afternoon in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals at OGE Field at Devon Park.
OU, the No. 2 seed, will play No. 6 BYU at 5 p.m. Friday. The Cougars upset No. 3-seeded Oklahoma State in the first game Thursday in a dominant 7-2 shocker.
Because of the shocking Cowgirls loss, there was some nervous energy in OKC. And even more after Kelly Maxwell allowed three straight hits to begin the game and a 1-0 lead for KU.
From there, though? Pure OU domination. Maxwell worked out of the jam. The Sooners put up a five-spot in the bottom of the first. And there ya go, OU says welcome to tournament play.
“I’m feeling different, I think these guys will tell you the same, there’s a different level of intensity and just really working on a team performance so it was a good response,” Gasso said. “That’s what we were looking for and throughout the entire game there was response, response, response.
“Able to get a lot of different people in, got Paytn on the mound, which was really important, got some of these other guys off their feet. When we can do that, that’s important, that’s means we’re doing something really well.”
Maxwell didn’t allow another hit the rest of the way. She pitched the first three innings, walking two and striking out two.
It was Paytn Monticelli who came in after that and pitched two scoreless innings.
Offensively, there wasn’t one star. It was the pass the bat mentality Gasso and the players preach so much.
Alyssa Brito and Ella Parker each had two hits and each had a two-run double. OU scored just about as many runs with its aggressive baserunning mindset as it did with huge hits.
OU had 10 hits from seven players. Pass the bat indeed.
Up next
Surprise, surprise. It’s not Round 4 of Bedlam. Instead, it’s the fourth matchup of BYU and OU (47-6 overall). The Sooners won two of three against the Cougars at Love’s Field in last month. The Big 12 championship is set for 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
“We learned a lot. They can swing, they can play. They’re gamers,” Gasso said. “I know right now they’re fighting to get into the postseason. I would think they would make it because of their resume and some of their wins. They’re tough outs.
“Our pitching staff is going to have to be really good and pinpoint things because they can cover the zone really well. They hit hard. This is going to be a tough matchup. They came out and showed it against OSU. They did it to us in our series against them. We know what they’re capable of. We’re going to have to be at our best.”
