Kierston Deal, Sooners complete sweep of Houston

NORMAN — With the series already clinched against Houston, the Sooners were able to give Kelly Maxwell some much-needed rest on Sunday.

Plus, Kierston Deal quickly proved the Sooners weren't gonna have any issues.

Deal pitched all seven innings against the Cougars and didn't surrender a hit until the fourth inning. By that point, the Sooners already held a four-run advantage.

The only other hit for the Cougars didn't come until the top of the seventh seventh inning, with the game well in hand. And after that hit, Deal struck out back-to-back batters to end the frame and leave the runner stranded.

Deal finished by surrendering just two hits and one walk while striking out 10 batters, as the Sooners strolled to a 5-0 win at Love's Field. It built off Deal's performance Tuesday against Tulsa, when she recorded a no-hitter.

“I think today, it was just kind of going after the hitters," Deal said. "I think working ahead, getting first-pitch strikes and just trusting my defense. I felt like (after) Tuesday’s game, I might as well just carry on with throwing pitches and letting my defense work for me.”

The win secured the sweep for the Sooners, who move to 42-4 (18-3) on the season.

Here's a few other notes from the game:

— Deal has been lights out over has 11 starts. She's recorded 10 wins while posting an .42 ERA to go with four complete shutouts. During that stretch, she's allowed just three runs, 19 hits and 10 walks in 50 innings while recording 53 strikeouts and an opponent batting average of .113%.

— Jayda Coleman was back in the lineup after being held out from Saturday's 10-2 win for rest. Alynah Torres got the start at first base. However, it was Cydney Sanders' turn to rest on Sunday.

— Alyssa Brito got things started with a triple in the first inning that scored two runs. The Sooners got a bit lucky in the second inning, as the Cougars' left fielder dropped a routine pop fly that allowed Tiare Jennings and Ella Parker to find home.

Parker added the fifth and final run in the fifth inning, when she scored Rylie Boone with a double.

— While the Sooners outscored the Cougars 23-2 over the three games, Patty Gasso still hasn't been completely happy with the offense. The Sooners stranded 30 base runners over the three games, including 10 more on Sunday.

It's not a huge concern for the Sooners, but it is something they're monitoring.

"I don’t think it’s for lack of effort. I think it’s sometimes, not the lack, -- the wanting it too much... That is what I feel a little bit. It’s not for lack of trying. It’s just lack of being disciplined and saying what’s needed in this moment, right here and now. I think some of us are trying too hard, then I’ve got some freshman that are like, ‘Just give me the bat.’ Maybe they don’t enough yet and the beauty of that is they’re just trying to make it easy, and they’re really having good freshmen.”

— However, Gasso still gave her team credit for a convincing sweep of the Cougars, which saw the Sooners never be threatened in any game.

"A sweep of any team in the Big 12 is big," Gasso said. "We take that. Did we do it in absolute dominating fashion? At times, yes, for example, the pitching performance today was dominating. There are certain parts of our game that are dominating. Offensively, we’re scoring runs and doing enough to win. But we’re leaving runners in scoring position.

"We’re really trying to get that fixed. I don’t know, we’re in a little bit of a weird space right now but still finding ways to win games. Every team goes through it sometime during their season. Are we absolutely slumping? No, we’re not. But we are working to figure out how to get it all come together and we’re moving in directions where people are being called out and called up a little bit. For me, I don’t want to have any regrets. We’re dealing with a senior class that is absolutely special. They have done things that I don’t know if any other class can ever match. Sometimes we lose sight of that. Sometimes, it’s overbearing and tiring.

"It’s not too late. That’s one thing we’re really working on. (Deal) is a great example of someone who has understood the process of this. That’s what we’re continuing to grind on."

Up next: The Sooners travel to UCF next weekend. First game is set for Friday at 5 p.m. CT (ESPN+).