OU Softball: Kierston Deal Powers Oklahoma to Series Victory Over Texas

Both starting pitchers, Deal and Texas righty Citlaly Gutierrez, worked out of jams with two runners on in the second, but OU took the lead in the third. 

Deal fired back-to-back strikeouts to take care of her part of the inning, firing up the 4,538 fans at Love’s Field.

Ella Parker jumped all over the second pitch she saw, crushing the ball well into the right field bleachers to put the Sooners up 1-0. It was Parker’s seventh blast of the year.

Nelly McEnroe-Marinas immediately singled to try and build momentum, but Cydney Sanders grounded out to limit the damage to a single run as the game moved into the fourth inning.

Deal battled through a trio of deep counts to retire the Longhorns in order in the fourth, and Oklahoma’s offense rewarded her with more run support. 

Ailana Agbayani led the inning off with a single, then the OU second baseman dashed from first all the way home on Abby Dayton’s one-out double. 

Hannah Coor moved Dayton up 60 feet with a single, then Kasidi Pickering brought the left fielder home with a sacrifice fly to extend the Sooners’ lead to 3-0.

Oklahoma struck again in the fifth. 

Dayton singled up the middle with the bases loaded and two outs to bring a pair home, pushing the lead to 5-0 and ending Gutierrez’s day. 

Texas coach Mike White brought in Mac Morgan in relief with runners on the corners, and the reliever was able to induce a ground ball to get Coor out and stop the bleeding.

Pickering led the bottom of the sixth off with a double, and two batters later it was turned into an insurance run. 

McEnroe-Marinas turned on Morgan’s two-out delivery and rocketed the ball into the stands to put the Sooners up 7-0.

Deal started the seventh off by fanning Texas star Reese Atwood and getting Joley Mitchell to pop up, but a two-out single by Katie Stewart brought Hunter up for the homer.

Still, Deal finished with three strikeouts and allowed just four hits, marking one of her best showings of the year.

At the plate, both Dayton and McEnroe-Marinas finished 2-for-3, and Parker went 2-for-4. Dayton led OU with three RBIs.

The series will conclude on Sunday at 1 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN2.