OU Drops Bedlam Battle in Big 12 Title Game

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – No. 1 ranked and top-seed Oklahoma Softball dropped its second game of the season in the Big 12 Championship game Saturday, losing 4-3 in eight innings to two-seed and No. 7/8 Oklahoma State.

It marks the Sooners first loss in the Big 12 tournament title game since 2009 and the first time OU has not been the regular season or tourney Champs since 2010.

“Good game to be a part of and watch, back and Forth,” said the good Coach Patty Gasso. “I give credit to Oklahoma State, their pitching staff did a nice job today.

“This team isn’t happy with the defeat. That’s something they always seem to bounce back even in Stronger. They did that at Texas. They want to win the Championships. When someone takes it from them, they respond.”

The fourth installation of Bedlam lacked no drama, with the teams exchanging runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings before the Cowgirls plated the game-winning run via bases-loaded walk in the top of the eighth.

Oklahoma (49-2) got on the board first in the third courtesy of an RBI single from Tiare Jennings and a Cowgirl error on a ball hit to the outfield by Grace Lyons that allowed Jennings to race home.

At the top of the fourth, OSU (41-12) plated two on an RBI single from Hayley Busby and a sac-fly RBI from Taylor Tuck. The Cowgirls went up one in the fifth on an RBI single from Chyenne Factor.

Big 12 Player of the Year Jocelyn Alo knotted the game back up with a Solo Homer, her 25th of the season and 113th of her career, in the bottom of the fifth.

After a pair of scoreless innings, the game went to extras where OSU plated the go-ahead run on a bases-loaded walk to Kiley Naomi.

The Sooners managed a two-out baserunner in the bottom of the eighth by way of another OSU error on a ball hit by Alyssa Britobut a groundout ended OU’s chances of a walk-off win.

Alo paced OU at the plate with a 2-for-4 performance while Hope Trautwein took her first loss of the season in the Circle, moving to 16-1. Trautwein entered in relief and went 3.1 innings, allowing two runs on five hits and three walks. Starter Nicole May went 4.2 innings and allowed two runs on three hits and three walks to three strikeouts.

Jocelyn Alo, Rylie Boone, Lynnsie Elam, Grace Lyons and Hope Trautwein were named to the All-Tournament Team.

It was OSU’s first win over the OU of the season, as the Sooners swept the three-game series over the Cowgirls in Norman a week ago to win the Big 12 regular season title. OU has won 29 of the last 31 meetings over the Cowgirls dating back to 2011.

The Sooners await their postseason plans to be announced during Sunday’s NCAA Softball Championship Selection Special on ESPN2 at 6 p.m. CT.

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