Kansas Falls to No. 15 Oklahoma

Junior Maddie Stein recorded her 52nd hit of the season in the second inning against No. 15 Oklahoma.
No. 15 Oklahoma 9, Kansas 0
Marita Hynes Stadium // Norman, Okla.
1 2 3 4 5 R H E
KU 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2
OU 2 2 1 4 X 9 10 0

Box Score (.pdf)

NORMAN, Okla. – Coming off an 11-hit performance earlier this week, Kansas’ offense was cooled off by No. 15 Oklahoma Friday night as the Sooners opened the series with a, 9-0, win over the Jayhawks at Marita Hynes Stadium.

Kansas (28-11, 3-1 Big 12) recorded one hit against the Sooners, who tallied 10 hits on the night. The loss snapped a seven-game Big 12 winning streak for the Jayhawks, which is the second longest Big 12 winning streak since 1996, and the first defeat in conference action this season.

Kady Self gave OU the lead, 2-0, with a home run to left field in the bottom of the first. The early Sooner lead marks just the 12th time a Jayhawk opponent has scored first. KU has a 24-4 mark when scoring first.

Junior Maddie Stein collected the lone KU hit after recording a base knock in the second inning to left field. The Sooners added two unearned runs in the second inning as Self’s two-RBI single putting OU ahead, 4-0.

Sophomore Kelsey Kessler got the starting nod in the series opener. She pitched two innings and earned the loss, falling to 17-8 on the season, after a rough start. Kessler struck out two Sooner batters, while allowing three hits and two earned runs.

In the third inning, junior Alicia Pille took over striking out three batters in one and third innings pitched. She gave up five hits and four runs.

The Sooners’ catcher Whitney Ellis extended OU’s lead, 5-0, with a home run to center field in the third inning.
Sophomore Chaley Brickey drew a walk in the fourth inning. She has 31 walks this season and needs just six more to set a new Kansas single-season record. The record stands at 36 walks set by Tracy Bunge during the 1985 season.

Oklahoma scored four more runs in the fourth frame taking a 9-0 advantage. OU pitcher Kelsey Stevens earned the win improving to 18-5 on the year and struck out five Jayhawk batters.

Freshman Sophia Templin made her second appearance of the season in the circle. She struck out one in two-thirds of an inning of work.

Incoming poor weather conditions expected in the Norman area have altered the schedule for the rest of the weekend. The series will conclude on Saturday, April 5 with a doubleheader starting at 2 p.m.

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