Sweet Victory Over Texas Snaps Softball's Recent Skid

NORMAN, Okla. Oklahoma head coach Patty Gasso has watched a fair amount of opponents use late game heroics to down the Sooners over the last three weeks. On Saturday afternoon at the OU Softball Complex, the Sooners turned the tide as a clutch sixth inning triple by freshman Jamie Fox gave OU the 3-2 win over Texas (18-13, 0-3).

The victory is the Sooners (27-13-1) first of the Big 12 (1-4) season and snaps the longest losing streak (5) of Gasso's 10-year stint in Norman.

“We had been playing tentative because of our recent late inning struggles,” said Gasso. “It was like we were playing not to lose. The team finally exhaled after the game. To get this win under our belt is very big for this team, especially Kami Keiter. It takes a lot of weight off of everyone's shoulders.”

Box Score

OU scored first with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Junior Jessica Leslie (1-for-3, 1 run, 1 RBI) laced a double down the left field line to score Stacia Aleman (0-for-1, 1 run), who led off the inning with a walk. Senior Nicki Holt (0-for-2, 1 RBI), who was starting for just the second time this season, drove in OU's second run on a fielder's choice that plated Leslie.

The pair of runs snapped a streak of 19 scoreless innings for OU against Texas. Fourteen of those innings came against 2003 Softball Player of the Year Cat Osterman, who is red shirting this season while she competes with the US Olympic Team.

As has been the case during the Sooner's recent skid, OU gave the lead away in the Longhorn's next turn at the plate. Texas had runners at second and third after a throw from Heather Scaglione got away from Stacia Aleman (credited with the error) at first base. Amber Hall, who leads the Big 12 in batting average, followed with a run-scoring single to right field. Keiter retired the next two batters for the first two outs of the inning. Then an uncharacteristic Keiter wild spell cost OU its lead. Keiter walked the following two batters to force in a Texas run and knot the game at 2-2.

In the bottom of the sixth inning the Sooners finally caught a break. Jamie Fox blasted an outside drop ball to right field, where a back pedaling Tamara Poppe had the ball glance off her glove and ricochet off the base of the wall. As Poppe chased down the ball, Fox rounded second and was on her way to her first career triple. An errant cut-off throw from Chez Sievers found the OU dugout and Fox trotted home with the winning run.

“I told my teammates that Nicki Holt, Amber Spaulding and I were going to win this game,” said Fox, who hit seventh in the lineup and was followed by the aforementioned duo. “We always talk about being accountable to each other and I knew it was my turn to step up for my teammates.”

OU snapped a four game (all in 2003) losing streak to Texas and pulled ahead in the all-time series, 14-13. The win also snaps the longest losing streak (3) of Kami Keiter's career. Keiter, who improved to 5-6, tossed her eighth complete game while allowing four hits, striking out six and surrendering no earned runs.

“I was very impressed by Jamie Fox,” said Gasso. “To tell your team that you are going to win this game and then produce is very impressive. It was also very encouraging to see Kami bounce back and command the game after allowing Texas to tie it up (in the fifth inning).”

The Red River Rivalry renews Sunday at 1 p.m., from Marita Hynes Field. Admission is $5 for adults and $2 for children. The first 400 fans in attendance will receive free Sooner pin wheels. Sooner Kids Club members who come to the game in any OU jersey will receive a coupon for free food from the concession stands.