OU vs. Texas Tech softball: Takeaways from Sooners' series-clinching win against Red Raiders

NORMAN — There wasn’t any doubt when the ball left Jayda Coleman’s bat.

Texas Tech’s Maddie Kuehl had made a big mistake as she left her pitch over the middle of the plate, and Coleman — OU’s star junior center fielder — made her pay.

Coleman’s blast in the bottom of the third didn’t just clear the fence. It soared over the bleachers in right field for her second homer of the day.

“I don’t think I’ve ever hit a ball that far, to be honest,” Coleman said. “It felt really good coming off the bat.”

The top-ranked Sooners took a three-run lead and rolled from there as they beat Texas Tech 6-0 for the series win Friday night at Marita Hynes Field.

Coleman led OU (35-1, 8-0 Big 12) at the plate as she finished 2 for 4 with three RBI. She has a .465 batting average with 11 homers and 29 RBI this season.

But Coleman wasn’t the only dominant Sooner on Friday.

OU had a well-rounded performance and was stellar in just about every aspect of the game.

Here are some takeaways from the Sooners’ latest victory.

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OU’s Jordy Bahl dominates in the circle

OU starting pitcher Jordy Bahl gave up a single to leadoff hitter Makinzy Herzog in the first inning and walked the next hitter, Kailey Wyckoff.

Other than that, Bahl was nearly flawless.

The sophomore right-hander tossed 6⅓ innings and didn’t allow any other hits as she dominated the Red Raiders (28-14, 2-6).

Bahl got into a rhythm and finished with 12 strikeouts, not letting the slow start affect her.

“I would say that I honestly felt locked in even during those at-bats,” Bahl said.

“I think it’s important to know that outcomes like that can still happen even when you’re locked in, so not getting too wrapped up in the outcomes but knowing where you’re at if you’re in your zone and then there’s some things you just can’t do anything about. A good hitter can put a good swing on a ball.”

Kierston Deal entered in relief and got the final two outs. She allowed two hits.

With the win, Bahl improved to 11-1 on the season.

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OU win streak up to 27

WIth Friday’s victory, the Sooners are up to 27 wins in a row.

OU’s only defeat this season was at Baylor on Feb. 19 as the Sooners lost 4-3.

They bounced back and put it behind them and are playing like the best team in the country.

But OU coach Patty Gasso said there are still some things the Sooners need to work on following Friday’s win.

“Still feel like we’ve underachieved offensively,” Gasso said.

“I think we all understand that. We’re letting things get in on our hands. We’re swinging (at) pitches that are out of the strike zone at times, and we’re just giving up at-bats and we’re better than that.”

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OU’s Kinzie Hansen provides a spark

OU senior catcher Kinzie Hansen kept things rolling after Coleman hit her second homer.

With no outs in the bottom of the third, Hansen drove in two runs on a single.

Alyssa Brito scored later in the inning, advancing to home as Hansen stole second base.

That gave OU a 6-0 lead, and the Sooners’ offense was relatively quiet after that.

The Sooners finished with five hits and drew six walks.

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OU plays strong defense

Bahl was outstanding in the circle, but she also had a solid defense behind her.

The Sooners didn’t commit any errors.

There weren’t necessarily any highlight-reel plays like in the series opener, but OU played a clean game defensively.

That along with the great offensive start helped OU stay in control.

“Our defense was strong,” Gasso said. “Made good plays. Offense, I know we got a lot of base on balls. We turned those into runs. Jayda was just outstanding today. Some timely, big-time bombs.”

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU vs. Texas Tech softball: Sooners clinch series against Red Raiders