Sooners showing no mercy early on
Cowgirls avenge lone loss to ninth-ranked Louisiana
College softball season is off to a potent start for No. 2 Oklahoma and No. 8 Oklahoma State.
The Sooners continue to use their offense to overwhelm the opposition, while the Cowgirls piled up wins against top-15 opponents in the last few days.
Here's a look at four things we learned about the OU and OSU softball teams over the weekend:
Sooners' bats on fire
With a trip to the state of Arizona over the weekend, OU added five more victories to improve to 12-0 on the season. Of those 12 victories, only two have been closer than an eight-run margin of victory.
In a 33-4 win over New Mexico on Saturday in Phoenix, t he Sooners set a program record with 28 hits. And the Sooners, serving as
the home team, did all that damage in just four innings.
Nicole Men des was 4-for-5 with a double, a walk and five runs scored. Three other players had three hits each, including Taylon Snow, who came off the bench to go 3- for -3 with two runs batted in.
For the season, OU has outscored its opponents 168-16 with three games of at least 21 runs.
Perfect combination
The scoring flurry aside, the So one rs reminded everyone they've still got pitching, too, with three pitchers combining for a fiveinning perfect game in an 8-0 win over Portland State on Sunday.
Starter Giselle Juarez was credited with the win, improving to 5-0 on the season.
She worked two perfect innings with two strikeouts and finished off her six batters faced on just 18 pitches.
Nicole May worked the next two innings, striking out three, and Brooke Vestal struck out one in the final inning.
Cowgirls proving they belong
Oklahoma State has been ranked in the top 10 all season, and with three wins in four games against teams ranked in the top 15, the Cowgirls ( 13- 1) showed they can handle themselves.
With a trip to Baton Rouge for the Louisiana/ LSU Invitational over the weekend, OSU went 4-1, splitting a pair of games with No. 9 Louisiana.
The Cowgirls opened the weekend by taking two games from No. 13 LSU on its home field, 1-0 and 3-1.
In the 1-0 victory, Kiley Naomi' s secondinning RBI single put the Cowgirls on top and sophomore pitcher Kelly Maxwell made it stand with a two-hit shutout.
With a 6- 3 win over Buffalo on Saturday, OSU stretched its winning streak—dating back to last season — to 24 straight games, which now stands as a program record. The streak ended later that day with a 7-1 loss to Louisiana.
Maxwell to the max
Maxwell, a left-hander, has been nearly untouchable through her first five appearances of the season. She has yet to allow a run, and has given up only three hits while striking out 30 batters and walking six in 20 innings.
In addition to her complete-game victory against LSU on Friday, she recorded the final two outs of the Cowgirls' 5-3 victory over Louisiana in nine innings on Sunday. Maxwell earned the save after starter Carrie Eberle went 8 1/3 strong innings.
For the season, Maxwell is 4-0 with one save in five appearances.
OU
So far this season: 12-0 Over the weekend: 5-0 (Friday: Beat New Mexico 8-0 and Arizona State 5-3 in Tempe, Arizona. Saturday: Beat New Mexico 33-4 and Grand Canyon 14-0 in Phoenix. Sunday: Beat Portland State 8-0 in Phoenix.)
This week: Courtyard Marriott Tournament in Norman (vs. Missouri, 3 p.m. Friday; vs. Sam Houston State, 5:30 p.m. Friday; vs. Louisiana-Monroe at 12:30 p.m. Saturday; TBD at 5:30 p.m. Saturday; TBD at 1 p.m. Sunday.)
OSU
So far this season: 13-1 Over the weekend: 4-1 (Friday: Beat LSU 1-0 and 2-1. Saturday: Beat Buffalo 6-3, lost to Louisiana 7-1. Sunday: Beat Louisiana 5-3).
This week: OSU/ Tulsa Invitational in Stillwater (vs. Omaha at 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. Friday; vs. New Mexico at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Saturday; vs. Tulsa at 1 p.m. Sunday.)