NORMAN ā Graduate left-handed pitcher
Kelly Maxwell threw her fifth collegiate no-hitter as the No. 1-ranked Oklahoma softball team swept Tarleton State in a midweek doubleheader at Love's Field on Tuesday evening.
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The Sooners (24-1, 3-0 Big 12) downed Tarleton (12-15, 0-0 WAC) 8-0 and 12-1 to take both games of the set. OU closed its inaugural homestand at Love's Field with a 10-1 record.
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Maxwell's brilliance set the tone in game one as OU's lineup backed the staff with four crooked numbers, plating three or more runs in an inning twice in each game.
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Cydney Sanders continued her torrid stretch, homering twice and driving in seven runs between the two games. In the month of March, Sanders is slashing .579/.690/1.947 for a 2.637 OPS with eight home runs, two doubles and 22 RBIs.
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No. 1/1 Oklahoma 8, Tarleton State 0 (5)
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OU southpaw
Kelly Maxwell no-hit Tarleton in a brilliant performance, recording her fifth collegiate no-no while improving to 7-0 on the year. A two-out fielding error in the first inning permitted the lone Texan batter to reach before Maxwell sat down the final 13 she faced. The left-hander struck out seven and walked none, throwing 45 of her 61 pitches for strikes (73.8%). She piled up 11 swinging strikes for a stellar 18.0% whiff rate, putting her plus stuff on full display.
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Jayda Coleman (1-for-2, R, HR, RBI) opened the scoring with a solo shot on the first pitch she saw to lead off the bottom of the first. OU added two more on a throwing error and a
Cydney Sanders (1-for-2, R, HR, 4 RBI) sacrifice fly to take a 3-0 lead into the second.
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Maxwell shut down the Texans, trading zeroes with the Tarleton starter in the second, third and fourth. Following a scoreless fifth tossed by the Sooner starter, Oklahoma rallied for five runs in the home half to earn a "walk-off" run-rule win. Sanders blasted her ninth home run of the season in the frame, a towering three-run shot to right,
Ella Parker (2-for-2, R, 2 2B, RBI) doubled home a run and
Alynah Torres (2-for-3, RBI) plated the winning run with an RBI single.
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Tiare Jennings went 1-for-2 with a double in the win, recording her 55th career two-bagger to move into a tie for second in program history with Lisa Carey. Jennings needs three doubles to pass Sydney Romero (56) for the OU record.
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No. 1/1 Oklahoma 12, Tarleton State 1 (5)
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The Oklahoma lineup provided another pair of crooked numbers in game two, supporting a strong start from right-hander
Nicole May. OU's senior struck out four and walked none across 3.0 shutout frames, scattering three hits to improve to 8-0 on the season and enter the program's top-10 in career wins with No. 55.
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Eight straight Sooners reached with two outs in the first as part of a seven-run frame, blowing the game open early.
Cydney Sanders (1-for-2, R, HR, 3 RBI) blasted a monster three-run blast to begin the scoring,
Riley Ludlam (3-for-3, R, 3 RBI) added a two-run single and
Hannah Coor (1-for-2, R, HR, 3 RBI) launched a two-run shot for her first collegiate home run to cap off the scoring.
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A sacrifice fly off the bat of Coor pushed OU's lead to 8-0 in the third. Tarleton State responded with a run of its own in the fourth, with Oklahoma promptly responding with four in its home half.
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Karlie Keeney closed things out, allowing a run on two hits while fanning three over 2.0 innings of work.
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Alynah Torres reached three times in the win with a single and a pair of walks, scoring a trio of runs.
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Up Next
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OU returns to conference play with a three-game series in Lubbock at RV/NR Texas Tech beginning Friday, March 15 at 6 p.m. Game two of the series is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday with a noon Sunday finale.
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For updates and more information on Oklahoma Softball, follow the Sooners on Twitter/X and Instagram (
@OU_Softball) and likeĀ
Oklahoma SoftballĀ on Facebook.
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