OU Softball Sweeps Bedlam With 5-1 Win, Finishs Big 12 Play Undefeated

No. 1 Oklahoma completed the three-game sweep of No. 7/6 Oklahoma State on Sunday with a 5-1 win. 

The Sooners (49-1, 18-0) completed an undefeated run through conference play for the first time since 2019 and the third time in program history (2018, '19). 

"It's incredibly hard to go through the Big 12 undefeated," said head coach Patty Gasso. "It's their goal but they don't talk about it a lot. They just know what it takes day to day, the grind. A lot that goes with it. And not many teams do it. So it's a big milestone for them. They'll be in the record books. That means a lot to them."

With the win, the Sooners closed the regular season 49-1, marking the second consecutive season OU has finished the regular season with one loss. Additionally, the victory pushed OU's nation-best win streak to 41 games, good for a tie of the program record (2019) and second in NCAA Division I history. The Sooners are six games shy of tying the all-time record (47) set by the 1996-97 Arizona Wildcats. 

After a dramatic come-from-behind win in Saturday's game two of the series, the Sooners controlled Sunday's finale with an exceptional one-run performance from right-handed senior pitcher Alex Storako and timely hitting led by senior captain Grace Lyons. 

Storako etched her name into the record books with her 1,000th career strikeout, joining an elite group of 99 pitchers in NCAA Division I history to eclipse the mark. 

After a pair of scoreless innings to start the game, the Sooners broke through with a pair of runs in the third. After a single from Jayda Coleman and stolen base by the speedster, her team-leading 14th of the season, Cydney Sanders drew a walk to put two on for the super senior Lyons. The All-American shortstop found a gap in right center for a two-run double to put OU up 2-0 through three. 

Storako collected 1,000 career K's in the fourth on a strikeout looking, fanning a pair in the frame. 

OU added two more in the fifth courtesy of Alynah Torres. Following a single from Lyons and walk drawn by Haley Lee, Torres laced a two-RBI double to left field, bringing OU's lead to four runs through five. 

At the top of the sixth, the Sooners added their final run of the contest on a sacrifice-fly RBI from Lyons after a hit by pitch to Coleman and single from Tiare Jennings. 

The Cowgirls (41-13, 10-8) plated their only run of the contest in the bottom half of the sixth via a double from Micaela Wark. 

Storako stranded a runner in the seventh to complete OU's undefeated run through conference play and secure the program's 46th sweep out of 54 consecutive conference series wins. 

Storako went the distance and moved to 16-0 on the year, surrendering one run on six hits and two walks to go with four strikeouts. 

At the plate, Lyons paced OU with a 2-for-3, three RBI performance while Torres plated Oklahoma's other pair of runs, finishing 2-for-4. Five Sooners registered a hit in the game.

On the season, the Sooners are outscoring opponents 408-43, including a 124-17 mark in Big 12 play, to go with 91 home runs to opponents 18. The team is batting a nation-best .368 while the pitching staff leads the country with a 0.87 ERA and 380 strikeouts. 

Postseason begins with the Big 12 Softball Championship in Oklahoma City next weekend, May 12-13. The top-seed Sooners will meet the winner of the No. 4 Baylor vs. No. 5 Iowa State. First pitch for the semifinal contest will be Friday at 1 p.m. CT at USA Softball Hall of Fame Complex and can be seen on ESPNU. Tickets for the tournament are available via Big12Sports.com.