Since I last posted, Oklahoma has taken over first place in the SEC with a 12-1 conference record (39-3 overall), two games clear of second-place Alabama (11-3) in the loss column. Texas, which started off the year 31-1, is currently on a three-game losing streak and fifth in the conference at 9-4 (32-5). Florida (13-4) and Texas A&M (10-4) are the other two teams ahead of Texas.
The nationally No. 2 Sooners and No. 4 Longhorns began their three-game series last night in Austin, with OU prevailing 3-0. Oklahoma soph Audrey Lowry went the distance, striking out 4 and allowing 6 hits and only 1 walk. This Sports Illustrated article credited the defense behind Lowry.
I'll be commenting on Game 2 of the OU-UT series, which has just come on the air on ESPN. Another sophomore, Miali Guachino, is starting in the circle for the Sooners... Bottom 1, Longhorns have taken a 1-0 lead on a one-out single up the middle by Viviana Martinez. A line-out double-play gets OU out of a jam... Hannah Wells pitching for UT (Teagan Kavan struck out 13 Sooners last night, but gave up 6 hits and 4 walks)... T2, Gabbie Garcia opposite-field solo-shot ties game 1-1... Per an ESPN graphic, 10.4 percent of OU plate appearances have resulted in a home run!... T3, Brenlee Gonzales now pitching for Texas... Longhorns with some action going in B4. Three infield singles, the last two with two out, have made it 2-1 UT... Ground-out to third ends threat... OU with leadoff walk T5... Kai Minor line single to right puts runners on first and second with none out... Citlaly Gutierrez enters as third UT pitcher of the night... Kendall Wells at the plate for OU... Wells blasts one to left for a 4-2 Sooner lead. Per ESPN, Wells's 31st homer, an NCAA frosh record... A walk and a single later, OU still threatening with two outs in T5... Sydney Barker at the plate... Little infield bloop past circle loads the bases, bringing up Ailana Agbayani... Quick 0-2 count on Agbayani... Fly-out to right ends Sooner threat... B5, leadoff infield single for Texas... Two-out fielding error on grounder to pitcher keeps Longhorns' inning alive, runners on first and second... Single up the middle (ball stopped by 2B-person but no play) cut's UT deficit to 4-3... Grounder to 2B ends threat... T6, OU with runners on first and second, two outs, for Kasidi Pickering... Hard two-hopper to first, good play by Horns' Katie Stewart to beat Pickering to the bag, end OU threat... B7, yesterday's star Audrey Lowry in to pitch... Longhorns' top of the order -- Kayden Henry, Stewart, and Reese Atwood -- scheduled to bat... K for first out... Line single to left for Stewart (replaced by pinch-runner)... Atwood grounds into double-play (5-4-3), ending the game...
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Texas Tech, which had been No. 1 in the polls, suffered a 4-0 shutout loss to Utah earlier today in Salt Lake City. UCLA transfer Kaitlyn Terry pitched all 6 innings for TTU, with none of the 4 runs she gave up being earned (the Red Raiders committed 4 errors). The Utes' Hailey Maestretti allowed the Raiders some traffic on the bases with 5 hits and 6 walks, but Tech couldn't get any of these 11 runners home.