No. 1 OU Sweeps KU, Remains Undefeated

Saturday, April 3

Norman

1 PM

University of Oklahoma

28-0, 0

Kansas

17-14, 0

Kansas

Oklahoma

No. 1 OU Sweeps KU, Remains Undefeated

April 03, 2021 | Softball

Box Score Box Score: OU 10, KU 1 Highlights #LaunchPad Photo Gallery

NORMAN — The No. 1 Oklahoma softball team (28-0, 6-0) completed the series sweep over Kansas (17-14, 1-5) Saturday afternoon at Marita Hynes Field in Norman with a 10-1 run-rule victory in five innings.

The Sooners pushed their unbeaten streak to 35 straight games and won their 56th straight Big 12 conference series, having not lost a series since 2011 (52-0-4 in the span). Additionally, OU has won 49 consecutive Big 12 regular season contests.

Junior Grace Lyons and sophomore Mackenzie Donihoo led the Sooners at the plate, each ripping home runs with Lyons racking up four RBIs on the day. Redshirt senior Giselle Juarez (10-0) got the win in the circle for the second time in as many days, going three innings and allowing no runs, hits or walks and registering one strikeout. Freshman Nicole May finished the job, collecting five strikeouts and scattering four hits and giving up just one run.

Freshman Tiare Jennings started things off for the Sooners with a leadoff double in the top of the first, making her way around to score on a wild pitch to put OU up one early.

Donihoo hit her fifth home run of the season in the second inning on a solo shot to center field before OU put a combined eight runs on the board in the third and fourth innings.

Redshirt senior Nicole Mendes made arguably the play of the game in the top of the third, robbing Kansas of a solo home run at the center field wall. Mendes leaped and extended her arm over the wall to make the grab and close the frame for the Sooners.

Following walks to Jennings and senior Jocelyn Alo, sophomore Kinzie Hansen hit an RBI single to score Jennings while Alo advanced home on a throwing error by KU. The next at-bat, Lyons launched a two-run homer to left center, her 11th round-tripper of 2021.

Kansas got one run back in the fourth off a solo shot from Sydnee Ramsey before OU plated four more runs on three hits in the bottom of the inning.

After another leadoff double from Jennings and walks to Alo and Hansen, Lyons brought in a pair on a single to right field. Senior captain Lynnsie Elam followed up Lyons with an RBI single of her own, scoring Hansen from third. The Sooners loaded the bases again after a hit by pitch to senior Jana Johns. KU hit a second consecutive batter, senior Taylon Snow, to bring in Lyons and conclude the day's scoring.

Lyons went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs scored and four RBIs in the series finale, while Donihoo finished 2-for-3 with one run batted in and a stolen base. Jennings continued her impressive freshman campaign, finishing 2-for-3 with three runs scored. Hansen brought in one and finished 1-for-2 with a pair of runs scored.

Alo's program record 40-game hit streak came to a close Saturday following a groundout and two walks to the senior slugger. The streak goes down as the third best consecutive game hitting streak in NCAA history, falling just three games short of tying the record set by Coastal Carolina's Sara Graziano from 1993-94. Saturday's game marked the first time since February 21, 2020 vs. Nebraska that Alo failed to register a hit in a game that she recorded an at-bat.

Oklahoma turns around for a midweek matchup at Wichita State this Wednesday, April 7 at 6 p.m. CT before returning to conference play with a three-game series at Baylor, April 9-11. Wednesday's game at Wichita State will air on ESPN+ and can be heard via The Franchise 2 (103.3 FM, 1560 AM) in Oklahoma and nationwide on the TuneIn app.

For updates and more information on Oklahoma softball, follow the Sooners on Twitter and Instagram (@OU_Softball) and like Oklahoma Softball on Facebook.