Kelly Maxwell, Cydney Sanders power OU victories
Take your pick for OU softball. First baseman Cydney Sanders and pitcher Kelly Maxwell were taking their shots at dominance.
They both accomplished their mission in an OU doubleheader sweep against visiting Tarleton State on Tuesday at Love’s Field, punctuated with a 12-1 five-inning, run-rule victory.
Maxwell was as good as it gets in the circle in the first game. Then Sanders brought the bats in both games, continuing her March dominance.
Sanders, the reigning NFCA and Big 12 Player of the Week, hit a three-run home run in each of the games and drove in seven runs
She now has 10 round-trippers this season and eight in March for head coach Patty Gasso. It is, of course, only March 12.
So that’s not bad, obviously, and made it tough for Maxwell to top it. She did her best. Maxwell threw a five-inning no-hitter in the first one.
No walks and seven strikeouts, another dominating performance to move to 7-0 this season.
In the second game, OU scored seven runs in the first, all with two outs. Included in that was a two-run home run for Hannah Coor, her first-career homer. Coor drove in three runs. Riley Ludlam also drove in three runs and had three hits.
The Coor moment, though? It was special.
“I was super excited,” Sanders said. “I think I might had PR’d with a jump, trying to jump over (Maxwell: “She sprinted around the bases.”) She did. She got there fast.”
Nicole May had a rough start in the first before bouncing back. She finished with four strikeouts in three innings, giving way to Karlie Keeney for the final two innings. She struck out two.
OU 8, Tarleton State 0 (5)
Jayda Coleman took the first pitch she saw and sent it out for her fourth home run of the season. But it wasn’t as easy a day for the Sooners to begin the doubleheader.
It was only 3-0 entering the bottom of the fifth, and then OU finished the job. Sanders had a big part in that, blasting a three-run home run. An RBI single by Alynah Torres marked the run-rule victory.
Only an error kept Maxwell from the perfect game. She has to settle with having the first no-hitter for OU this season.
Note: Kinzie Hansen was not with the team Tuesday, but Gasso said Hansen should be ready this weekend.
“Not feeling very well,” Gasso said. “Smart for us to keep her away in case she was infectious to keep her away from any of the athletes. She needs to rest, could hear it in her voice. But she’ll be fine.”
Up next
After 11 straight games to break in Love’s Field, it’s time to hit the road. The No. 1-ranked Sooners (24-1, 3-0) head to Lubbock to take on Texas Tech. The Red Raiders are 21-5 overall and took two of three from BYU last weekend. OU went 10-1 to open up its new palace with eight run-rule victories.
