No. 1/1 Oklahoma Wins Eight-Inning Thriller Over No. 10/7 Washington

Friday, February 9

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

8:30 PM

University of Oklahoma

3-0

Washington

2-1

Oklahoma

Washington

Photo by: Morgan Givens/University of Oklahoma

No. 1/1 Oklahoma Wins Eight-Inning Thriller Over No. 10/7 Washington

February 09, 2024 | Softball

Box Score

PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico – The No. 1/1 Oklahoma softball team used a pair of clutch hits from Riley Ludlam and Rylie Boone to earn a 4-3 eight-inning win over No. 10/7 Washington in an instant classic on Friday evening in Puerto Vallarta.

Oklahoma (3-0, 0-0 Big 12) extended its winning streak to 56 games, dating back to Feb. 24, 2023, and now own the longest winning streak in NCAA history, breaking the previous all-division record held by then-Division II program Western Kentucky.

OU opened the scoring with a pair of first-inning runs courtesy of back-to-back two-out RBI singles from Kinzie Hansen and Kasidi Pickering. A walk drawn by Cydney Sanders filled the bases, but a long fly out to right ended the Sooner scoring threat.

Washington (2-1, 0-0 Pac-12) responded quickly, scoring three unearned runs in the bottom of the second following a two-out obstruction call at home plate.

Oklahoma right-hander Nicole May settled in nicely following the second inning, closing her day with 4.0 innings of five-hit ball. She struck out four and walked two while navigating her way through the Huskies order. Paytn Monticelli took the ball in the fifth and immediately injected life into the OU dugout, retiring the side in order capped off by a strikeout that brought the crowd into a frenzy.

The Sooners took advantage of the rejuvenated audience as Sanders worked an eight-pitch walk to open the top of the sixth. Maya Bland pinch-ran for Sanders and put her speed on display, alertly tagging and advancing to second on an Alynah Torres fly ball lifted to left. Head coach Patty Gasso then went to her bench and brought Ludlam in to pinch hit with the tying run on second and one away. The Furman transfer laced a 1-1 pitch into right-center, plating Bland and drawing things even at 3-3.

The Huskies put runners on the corners with one out in the sixth, prompting OU to turn to Kelly Maxwell in the circle. Oklahoma's left-hander rolled up a fielder's choice to cut down the lead runner, then induced a second ground ball to escape the jam.

Both teams managed at least one baserunner in the seventh, but both Maxwell and UW's Ruby Meylan navigated through the traffic to send the game to extra innings.

Playing with international tiebreaker rules at the Puerta Vallarta College Challenge, OU opened its side of the eighth with Pickering on second base. Sanders advanced her to third with a groundout, then a flyout brought Oklahoma's sparkplug to the plate with two down. Boone provided even more heroics, lining a go-ahead single into left to plate Pickering.

Maxwell retired the side in order in the eighth to secure the comeback victory. The graduate transfer earned her 60^th collegiate win and second in as many appearances with OU, striking out two while issuing a lone walk in 2.2 scoreless innings of relief. She also recorded her 750th career strikeout in the win.

Alyssa Brito reached base three times on the night, going 1-for-2 with a pair of walks and a run scored.

Up Next

OU concludes its trip to Puerto Vallarta on Saturday, Feb. 10 with a 1 p.m. CT start vs. Long Beach State. The game will be broadcast on FloSoftball with radio coverage on 107.7 FM The Franchise and 1560 AM/103.3 FM The Franchise 2.

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