Oklahoma’s Oklahoma City Coach Patty Gasso referred to the No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners as the “underdog” on Tuesday, but that didn’t last long.
Oklahoma continued to be Texas’ foil in Game 1 of the Women’s College World Series finals, destroying the Longhorns 8-3 and hitting three home runs while starting pitcher Kelly Maxwell restrained the top-ranked Longhorns’ bats.
Maxwell was playing in her first WCWS finals after joining the Sooners as an offseason transfer from Oklahoma State, despite their rivalry. Maxwell threw 148 pitches on Tuesday in order to help the Sooners avoid elimination against Florida, but on Wednesday he completed all seven innings, striking out eight and giving up just one earned run on 119 pitches.
Kelly was excellent the entire game, according to Gasso. “She had never gone this far in her dream, so when she found herself in the championship series, adrenaline took over for her. But this is not an opportunity that she will pass up. I inquired as to her desire for the ball. She gave me a “Duh” expression, and I thought, “Okay, we’re good.”
On the Texas side, Teagan Kavan’s fairytale run at the WCWS came to an end when the rookie, who had thrown two one-hit shutouts against Stanford, hit Jayda Coleman with a pitch to start the game. Tiare Jennings, a star player from Oklahoma, then gave up a home run to mark her 11th career WCWS home run, one short of the record.
After allowing three home runs and five earned runs in two and a half innings against the Sooners, Kavan was given the loss.
“In the first inning, we need to step up and take a little more control over the game. “A difficult beginning for our rookie,” Texas head coach Mike White remarked of Kavan. “Teagan was undoubtedly our hot hand. Why didn’t I start Teagan, I would ask, if someone else had given up the runs instead of me starting her? You mount the steed that brought you there.
The Sooners’ eight runs were their third-highest in a WCWS championship series match, after games versus the Longhorns in 2022 that saw 16 and 10 runs scored. In NCAA tournament games, Oklahoma has defeated Texas 6-0, outscoring the Longhorns 55-14.
Despite having reduced the gap this season and defeated the Sooners in a regular-season series for the first time since 2009, the Longhorns are now in a best-of-three series that they are struggling to win. This loss comes on Wednesday.
Regarding the Sooners, White remarked, “Now it’s theirs to lose in some respect.” “One of the following two games must be won by them. Being the underdog occasionally is a position I enjoy being in. For a short while, we’re the best dog, but were we really? They have won national titles three times. It’s a mental exercise. Champions change the narrative. How can we turn around from this setback and the current situation so that we can play better and try to play some nice softball?”
The good news for the Longhorns is that they defeated the Sooners twice in Austin during the regular season after losing the first game before rallying to win the next two. Additionally, the Longhorns fell behind Texas A&M in Game 1 of their super regional matchup before coming back to win the following two.
Joley Mitchell of Texas stated, “I think we’ve done a good job of shifting the momentum.” We have a strong squad. We’ll be alright for the next two games as long as we stick together and perform our jobs.”
However, only one club in the previous ten years has survived to win a national title following a loss in Game 1—Oklahoma in 2021.
A victory here is nothing new for the majority of the Sooners, who are attempting an unprecedented fourth consecutive WCWS championship. However, there’s a sense of urgency for Maxwell, who traveled to Norman for a final chance at a national championship.
“This is it,” she declared. “This is my final chance. I will exert every effort to ensure that this team remains competitive. They have my back, and I know I have theirs.”
When Maxwell is in the big moments, like finishing the game with two strikeouts, Gasso said she can feel his confidence.
“There’s some things stirring in her internally that’s just hard to explain,” Gasso stated. Feels content with everything that is happening. She is not pursuing. She doesn’t feel anxious. She has harmony with her team regarding her actions and methods. Seeing her come out and just pump it in the seventh was just awesome. She was making progress.”
Even though the Sooners defeated a rival in the championship series, they are not overly excited about Thursday’s Game 2.
“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 stated. “We still know what lies ahead of us. Therefore, you cannot see us having fun.”
Oklahoma may win its ninth championship overall on Thursday, but the two Big 12 rivals—who will both play in the SEC next season—are quite familiar with one another.
“It’s true that Texas is a tough team,” said Oklahoma catcher Kinzie Hansen. “They’re not going to roll over.”
