Kelly Maxwell dominates as Sooners beat Texas in series opener

AUSTIN, Texas — It'd be pretty difficult to find anyone pitching better than Kelly Maxwell.

Texas found that out on Friday.

The veteran pitcher didn't allow a single hit through the first four and a half innings. By the time she allowed her first one — a single in the bottom of the fifth — she had already registered nine strikeouts.

At that point the Sooners' offense had done enough to create separation. They led by five runs, as Maxwell's pitching fueled the offense. Maxwell went all seven innings and finished the game surrendering just three hits while throwing 10 strikeouts, which tied her season high.

That was more than enough to help the Sooners secure a 5-2 win over the Longhorns to open the three-game series.

Over her last two games, Maxwell has thrown 19 strikeouts while surrendering just four hits and three runs in 14 innings.

"She looked in control," OU coach Patty Gasso said. "She looked like a boss. We talk a lot about that. Body language. I think that created some momentum for our team. Our team wanted to play really good defense behind her as well. Her performance really gave us confidence and gave us a real want-to (to) get those hits for her performance.”

The only time Maxwell felt pressure was in the seventh inning.

Entering the final frame, Maxwell had surrendered just one hit and zero runs. But the Longhorns opened with back-to-back runs that scored one run, and a sacrifice fly drove another run in.

All of a sudden, the Longhorns trailed just 5-2 and a rare walk by Maxwell put two base runners on as the crowd roared at Red & Charline McCombs Field.

However, with a little help from Tiare Jennings, Maxwell forced a ground out to snag the final out.

"I think it was good for our team to feel that (pressure) in the seventh, for Kelly to feel that, for us to feel that," OU centerfielder Jayda Coleman said. "As an offense, we need to know there’s not a big enough lead. We need to keep pushing before we get to the sixth and seventh inning."

But despite the late rally, it was yet another standout outing for the Sooners' ace. In 33.2 innings pitched in conference play, Maxwell has surrendered just 16 hits and seven earned runs while throwing 41 strikeouts.

"I think I'm still just working through what I’ve worked so hard with (OU assistant coach Jennifer Rocha)," Maxwell said. "Finding my routine and staying with it. Really just being in control on my tempo and my behalf. So really just feeding balls to the defense and letting them be behind me."

— The Sooners' offense couldn't generate much until the third inning. Cydney Sanders opened the frame with a walk, and then back-to-back-to-back singles from Kinzie Hansen, Rylie Boone and Jayda Coleman eventually drove pinch runner Maya Bland in for a run. On the next at-bat, Alyssa Brito hit a sacrifice fly to score Boone and give the Sooners a 2-0 lead.

— That lead held until the Sooners finally broke through with a three-run bomb from Coleman in the fifth inning to push the lead to five runs. Coleman has been on a tear since conference play began, batting .563% over that 13-game stretch while hitting six home runs.

In a game where the Sooners' offense was a little slow at times, it was the veterans that made timely hits.

"I think you can just maybe exhale a little bit," Gasso said. "But you just — a lot of times you just feel tense... just knowing that one swing can change the game on their side as well. So having insurance runs is always very helpful in this environment and in this game."

— Hansen officially returned at catcher after missing eight of the last 11 games. She went one for three at the plate.

"She was good," Gasso said. "She was really good. I was proud of her. She handled some tough pitches really well, kept things in front of her. It’s nice to have her back. Although Riley Ludlam was so great as well. Just nice to have everyone healthy on this bench, everyone healthy on this team. But yeah, she was right back in the middle of it.”

— Maxwell on the crowd: “I would say it’s probably one of the loudest I’ve ever heard. Credit their crowd. They were really loud, and it was kind of hard to get through that but I’m grateful my defense was behind me.”

— Up next: The Sooners look to clinch the series at 7 p.m. Saturday.