No. 2 Oklahoma beat No. 4 Texas 3-0 on Friday night in the opener of their series in Austin, handing the Longhorns their latest setback after Teagan Kavan struck out a season-high 13 batters and reached her 500th career strikeout.
Kavan worked 7.0 innings, allowed three runs on six hits and walked four, but the first-inning damage proved decisive when Oklahoma broke through with a two-run home run. She settled in after that and did not allow another run until the top of the sixth, when the Sooners added a solo shot.
The loss left Texas 32-5 overall, 9-4 in conference play and 12-5 against ranked opponents. It also came against a team that entered the night at No. 2, one spot ahead of Texas, in a matchup that was expected to help shape the league race and the national pecking order.
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Kavan's 13 strikeouts tied Arizona State's Kenzie Brown for the most against the Oklahoma offense this season, and the outing put her in a small slice of Texas history. She became just the sixth player in program history to reach 500 career strikeouts, a milestone that underscored how much work she carried even in defeat.
Texas still had chances. Kayden Henry went 2-for-3 and posted her 13th multi-hit outing of the season, while Ashton Maloney opened the bottom of the fifth with a triple, her second of the year and the sixth of her career. Reese Atwood, Kaydee Bennett and Viviana Martinez also reached with hits, but the Longhorns could not turn those swings into runs against Oklahoma's pitching and defense.
Game two is set for 7 p.m. CT on Saturday, April 11, at McCombs Field and will air on with Beth Mowins, Michele Smith and Jessica Mendoza on the call. Texas now has less margin for error if it wants to avoid dropping the series at home.
