Photo courtesy Oklahoma Softball
There are two colors in the state of Oklahoma – crimson and orange – and never the two shall cross.
Except last summer the colors did cross when pitcher Kelly Maxwell left Oklahoma State and transferred down I-35 to join Oklahoma.
As social media is prone to do, plenty of hate was hurled at Maxwell following her departure. It only intensified when the Sooners dropped regular season series to Texas and Oklahoma State.
But on Thursday night at OGE Energy Field at Devon Park, Maxwell got the final say as she pitched the final 1.1 innings in the Sooners 8-4 victory over Texas to secure OU its fourth consecutive national championship.
“It’s been awesome,” Maxwell said. “This whole team, they’re special. I’m just thankful that I got to be a part of this.”
Maxwell was more than just a part of the championship, she was a key factor in the Sooners historic run to the title.
Maxwell, who was named the Most Outstanding Player of the WCWS, was 3-0 with a 1.81 earned run average over 27 innings pitched. Fittingly, she pitched the final 1.1 innings on Thursday and allowed just an infield hit and struck out one.
Photo courtesy NCAA Championships
Behind the pitching of Maxwell, Oklahoma become the first school in NCAA Division I history to win four consecutive national titles. UCLA captured three consecutive national championships in 1988, 1989 and 1990 before losing to Arizona in the 1991 finals.
“It wasn’t easy, this season. It’s probably the hardest coaching season that I’ve had in a while because of a lot of the naysayers,” said Oklahoma head coach Patty Gasso. “It’s heavy. Heavy is the head that wears the crown is the one thing that really stuck out. That really has felt true. It’s been exhausting. These players are exhausted, but they keep going. It’s the love for each other. It’s the love for the game. It’s the love for the university. But they’re elite athletes who have extreme passion.”
Gasso also moved into a tie with Mike Candrea for the most national championships with eight.
After Maxwell pitched the Sooners to a win in game one, she took her place on the OU bench and watched her teammates go to work in the circle.
Karlie Keeney earned the start for OU and she was followed by Paytn Monticelli, Kierston Deal, Nicole May and eventually Maxwell.
Texas scored first in the top of the second inning when Kayden Henry delivered a single that plated Reese Atwood giving the Longhorns an early 1-0 lead.
Oklahoma would answer in the bottom of the frame when Kasidi Pickering hit a two-run home run to left putting the Sooners in front 2-1.
Texas would rally and regain the lead over the next two innings.
In the top of the third, the Longhorns loaded the bases on two singles and a walk and Alyssa Washington tied the game at 2-2 when she produced an RBI single that scored Vivianna Martinez.
UT regained the lead tin the top of the fourth inning when Mia Scott reached on a Sooner error which allowed Henry to cross the plate giving the Longhorns a 3-2 lead.
The Sooners took the lead for good in the bottom of the fourth inning.
With one out, three consecutive singles by Kinzie Hansen, Pickering and Rylie Boone loaded the bases and Cydney Sanders promptly unloaded them as she roped a double to right centerfield that scored all three runners giving OU a 5-3 lead.
Texas got a run back in the top of the sixth inning, but also took themselves out of a potential big inning.
With two outs and runners on second and third, Maxwell entered the game for the Sooners and faced Mia Scott. Scott hit a high bouncer to the right side and beat the throw to first which brought home Joley Mitchell to cut the lead to 6-5, but inexplicably Scott took two steps toward second base and an alert Avery Hodge flipped the ball to Sanders who applied the tag allowing the Sooners to escape further damage.
OU then put the game away in the bottom of the sixth when Jayda Coleman produced an RBI single and Ella Parker added a two-run double that upped the lead to 8-4.
All that was then left was for Maxwell to retire the Longhorns in the top of the seventh, and that’s exactly what she did.
Photo courtesy Oklahoma Softball
*****
2024 Women’s College World Series All-Tournament Team
Most Outstanding Player – Kelly Maxwell, P, Oklahoma
Jocelyn Erickson, C, Florida
Keagan Rothrock, P, Florida
Reagan Walsh, DP, Florida
NiJaree Canady, P, Stanford
Teagan Kavan, P, Texas
Mia Scott, INF, Texas
Katie Stewart, INF, Texas
Kinzie Hansen, C, Oklahoma
Tiare Jennings, INF, Oklahoma
Ella Parker, OF, Oklahoma
Kasidi Pickering, OF, Oklahoma
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