OU softball topples Texas as Kelly Maxwell, Sooners close in fourth-straight WCWS title (2024)

Kelly Maxwell fired her 119th pitch of the day and started walking toward the dugout.

Ho-hum.

OU’s ace, the graduate transfer who crossed Bedlam lines to join the Sooners, had just thrown yet another gem, helping her team vanquish Texas 8-3.

But if it weren’t for catcher Kinzie Hansen’s exuberance, and the roar of the crowd filled largely with Sooner faithful at Devon Park, Maxwell’s reaction to the victory looked as much like a mid-April win over Houston than one that pushed her team to the brink of an unprecedented fourth consecutive Women’s College World Series title.

Sooners coach Patty Gasso asked Maxwell whether she was ready to go a day after throwing nearly 150 pitches in a grinder of a game against Florida.

There was never a doubt.

“This is it,” Maxwell said. “This is my last opportunity. I’m just going to do everything I can to keep this team in it. I know that they have my back and I’ve got theirs.”

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Gasso has had pitchers who oozed emotion, some who were stoic and plenty in between.

Maxwell’s even-keeled approach benefitted her and the Sooners on Wednesday, as OU struck first, Texas punched back and then the Sooners kept whaling on Longhorns’ pitchers as Maxwell settled in to surgically dismantle the Texas lineup.

“Kelly was masterful all game,” Gasso said.

Hard to argue that.

She went the distance, striking out eight —including the final two batters of the game —and walking four.

After allowing a first-inning home run, Maxwell didn’t surrender another until the sixth, when the Longhorns added two unearned and ultimately unimportant runs.

“It’s fun to watch her live in the space right now,” Gasso said. “She’s having a blast. She’s pushing herself internally to places I don’t think she’s ever been before.

“It’s beautiful to see really.”

More: Mussatto: Tiare Jennings is more than an OU softball legend. She's an all-time WCWS great.

Maxwell has thrown three complete games for the Sooners, each under unique circ*mstances, over OU’s past four games.

Saturday, she struck out a season-high 11 in the Sooners’ 1-0 win over UCLA.

Tuesday, she gave up home runs in each of the first three innings in an elimination game, then shut down the Gators from there, throwing 148 pitches in an eight-inning victory.

Wednesday, Maxwell was superb once again.

“She’s been dominating,” Hansen said. “She’s throwing through all quadrants of the zone at all different speeds. She’s not letting her foot off the gas.”

Whether it came from Maxwell’s demeanor or had to do with the circ*mstance of playing the first of a best-of-three series, the Sooners played things matter-of-fact Wednesday.

Jayda Coleman typically is exuberant when she gets on base but played things straight against the Longhorns.

There was no grand celebration after the game, either on the field or in the locker room.

Hansen was excited, but that was about the extent of it, as Maxwell barely let out a smile before embracing Hansen on the field.

“We’re not over-jubilant because we know there’s still a lot of work to do against a very, very good team that has very good pitchers, very good hitters,” Gasso said. “I mean, we know what’s in front of us still. So you don’t see us celebrating. There’s still a lot of work to do.”

The Sooners will take on the Longhorns at 7 p.m. Thursday with a chance to become the first program ever to win four consecutive WCWS titles.

Here are three more takeaways from the Sooners’ win:

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Tiare Jennings closes in on Jocelyn Alo

Tiare Jennings celebrated her birthday Wednesday by moving up in the WCWS record books, blasting Teagan Kavan’s 3-2 pitch out to left field in the first inning to put the Sooners’ up 2-0.

The home run was the 98th of Jennings' career and her 11th career WCWS home run, putting her one behind Jocelyn Alo for the WCWS record. Jennings is now two hits from tying Alo's WCWS career record for hits.

With her RBI single in the sixth, Jennings moved within one of tying Alo’s WCWS career record of 32 hits.

More: Oklahoma softball's Tiare Jennings hits 2-run home run vs. Texas, Longhorns' first runs allowed in WCWS

Sooners keep racking up home runs

In the third inning, Kinzie Hansen blasted Kavan’s 2-1 offering out to left field to put the Sooners up 4-1.

That score didn’t last long, as freshman Kasidi Pickering made it back-to-back off Longhorns’ starter Kavan to make it 5-1.

Hansen’s home run was her second of this WCWS and her seventh career WCWS homer, breaking a tie with former Sooners star Lauren Chamberlain for third in the event’s history behind only Alo and Jennings.

OU has now hit 11 home runs in the WCWS, accounting for 19 of the Sooners' 24 runs in the WCWS.

The Sooners hold the WCWS record with 17 homers in 2022. OU hit 15 in 2021.

More: When do Oklahoma, Texas join SEC? WCWS championship is final meeting as Big 12 opponents

Sooners benefit from Texas miscue

When Jayda Coleman swung and missed at Estelle Czech’s 3-2 pitch in the sixth, Texas catcher Reese Atwood flipped the ball in the air toward the circle to celebrate the third out of the inning.

The problem?

It was only the second out of the inning.

Avery Hodge, who was at second base, scrambled to third on the error.

The Sooners made Texas pay, as Tiare Jennings followed with an RBI single to make it 7-1 Sooners.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU softball beats Texas in Game 1 of WCWS finals on Kelly Maxwell gem