OU softball: Sooners smash Kansas, advance to Big 12 semis

OKLAHOMA CITY — It felt like there was more pressure than normal on Oklahoma heading into the Big 12 Tournament. With the way the Sooners ended the regular season by dropping two of three games to Oklahoma State, the weekend felt like a significant opportunity for the Sooners to generate some much-needed momentum.

But for a moment in Thursday's quarterfinal matchup, it looked like the Sooners were in trouble. Despite Kelly Maxwell taking her usual place in the circle, the Jayhawks opened the game with back-to-back-to-back hits to give them an early 1-0 lead.

But the Sooners wasted no time in responding.

The Sooners opened the bottom of the frame with three-consecutive players finding their way on base before Alyssa Brito paid it off with a double that scored two runs. Alynah Torres hit a sacrifice fly that scored Tiare Jennings, and Kinzie Hansen scored Brito with a double to left center.

By the time Hansen found home to end the frame, the Sooners had regained a comfortable 5-1 lead. The Sooners added five more runs across the next two frames, putting the game firmly in run-rule territory as the offense quickly found a rhythm

The result? A comfortable 10-1 win in five innings at Hall of Fame Stadium to advance to the Big 12 Tournament semifinals.

“I don’t think that rattles us at all, really," OU coach Patty Gasso said. "They earned it. It wasn’t anything we did necessarily wrong. They beat us out on one. We were out of position in another. They blooped one in. There’s nothing we can really do about that. It’s not like, ‘Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. First inning.’ We’re going, ‘Hey, let’s answer.’

"That’s been something that’s been a little tougher for us at times, is just answering a score. And they did it big and they did it every inning. That is what I’m really excited about, the offense really clicking that way. It’s almost like you want it to happen to see how we’re going to respond like.”

Here's a few other notes from the game:

— The Sooners' offense kept things going after the first inning. Jayda Coleman opened things with a solo home run, her 11th of the season before Alyssa Brito and Ella Parker both capitalized on aggressive base running. Ella Parker capped things off with a double in the third inning to score Coleman and Rylie Boone.

The Sooners were particularly aggressive with their base running, and it paid off.

— Maxwell pitched just three innings and didn't surrender a hit after that first inning.

Paytn Monticelli was called in out of the pen, marking her first appearance since April 20th and only her third since March 30th. Monticelli struck out one batter and didn't surrender a hit or walk.

— It was encouraging for the Sooners to see Jennings go two for two at the plate. Before hitting a home run last Sunday against OSU, Jennings had recorded just two hits in her previous 26 at-bats.

“I think last weekend, I could tell I wasn’t myself," Jennings said. "But Sunday, no matter the outcomes, just the celebration of these seniors kinda helped me feel super free. I think Sunday just made me realize to not miss any moments, no matter the outcome, win or lose. It’s already written, so have fun. I think today especially, it was like a weight lifted off my shoulders no matter what I was gonna do. Just having so much fun with all these people by my side.”

— It seemed like Oklahoma and Oklahoma State were on a collision course to rematch in the semifinals on Friday. But the Cowgirls didn't hold up their end of the deal, as they dropped their quarterfinal game to BYU, 7-2, on Thursday.

The Sooners won the series against BYU (31-22) last month, though infamously dropped Game 2 of the series 9-4 as they never slowed the Cougars' offense down.

"We learned a lot (that series)," Gasso said. "They can swing, they can play. They’re gamers. I know right now they’re fighting to get into the postseason. I would think they would make it because of their resume and some of their wins. They’re tough outs. Our pitching staff is going to have to be really good and pinpoint things because they can cover the zone really well. They hit hard. This is going to be a tough matchup. They came out and showed it against OSU. They did it to us in our series against them. We know what they’re capable of. We’re going to have to be at our best."

— The Sooners improve to 47-6 on the season.

— Up next: The Sooners take on BYU at 5 p.m. Friday (ESPN+).