Oklahoma softball sweeps Bedlam, on a 41-game winning streak

STILLWATER – It wasn’t something talked about often by Oklahoma softball, but you know the Sooners were gunning for that perfect regular season Big 12 conference record.

All it took was one more complete effort in a 5-1 victory at Oklahoma State’s Cowgirl Stadium on Sunday afternoon to finish the three-game sweep of their Bedlam rival.

That’s one box checked of several more to come in the next few weeks, OU is hoping. OU finishes the regular season 49-1 overall, 18-0 in the Big 12 and takes a 41-game winning streak into next weekend’s Big 12 tournament.

Of course, the Sooners will be the No. 1 seed and receive a first-day bye for the event at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium.

“It’s incredibly hard to go through the Big 12 undefeated,” head coach Patty Gasso said. “It’s their goal, but they don’t talk about it a lot. They know what it takes day-to-day. The grind, having to be really clutch. There is a lot that goes with it. Not many teams do it. It’s a big milestone to them. They’ll be in the record books. That means a lot to them. Gives us a lot of momentum to push us into postseason.”

Coming off a memorable 4-2 come-from-behind victory Saturday where Oklahoma scored four runs in the top of the seventh, Gasso said it wasn’t hard to rise to that emotional level necessary to take down the Cowgirls one more time.

OU didn’t have a banner day at the plate Sunday, but the Sooners received two crucial hits at key times. It started with a two-run double by Grace Lyons in the top of the third inning.

“Wonderful, what a great leader,” Gasso said. “Just did whatever she had to do to help the team. Really loved her intent today and just her leadership.”

Alynah Torres did the same with a two-run double in the fifth inning. In her first Bedlam appearances, Torres drove in a run in every single game this weekend.

“She’s been in and out of the lineup,” Gasso said. “I’ve been listening and watching. She was clutch. She did a great job of handling everything. Very proud of her.”

That was enough for Alex Storako to shut down the Cowgirls. While OSU threatened, the super senior was up to the task time and time again. Storako pitched the seven-inning complete game, allowing six hits, one earned run, two walks and four strikeouts. Storako surpassed the 1,000-career strikeout mark Sunday. She is 16-0 this season.

Takeaways

*Alyssa Brito was a late scratch, suffering from heat exhaustion. Torres started at third base. Brito felt better as the game went on and pinch-ran and stayed in the game. Torres moved to right field, and Brito was back at third for Oklahoma.

*Gasso always says the team learns from every game. Although the Sooners found a way, this weekend wasn’t the best for the bats. Especially with the bases loaded. Before Torres’ hit, the Sooners hadn’t had any success with the bases loaded all weekend.

*The 41-game winning streak is tied for the longest one in program history. “A lot of work, a lot of trust,” Gasso said. “Staying healthy, doing the right thing. Making good choices. All of that is very important for us to get to a season the way we did.”

The post Oklahoma softball sweeps Bedlam, on a 41-game winning streak appeared first on On3.