Sooners Claim Big 12 Title, Bedlam With Win Over Cowgirls

The No. 10 Oklahoma softball team (44-10, 15-2 Big 12) won the 2014 Big 12 Championship outright with a 5-4 win at Oklahoma State (26-27, 5-12 Big 12) Saturday. The Sooners have won seven regular season titles and four conference tournament titles in their history. The 11 total championships are the most in Big 12 history.

The win also clinches the Bedlam Cup for the Sooners. Since the official start of the Bedlam Series in 2001, OU has won the Cup outright in 11 of the 13 years and retained it twice (2003, 2010). Oklahoma has also done no worse than a split with OSU since the start of Big 12 play, including series wins in 16 of the 19 seasons.

Oklahoma's winning streak is now at 11 games. Coupled with a prior 14-game streak, the Sooners have won 26 of their past 28 games.

All five of Oklahoma's runs came in the second inning Saturday, while all four of Oklahoma State's came in the fourth. Junior Georgia Casey had the big hit in the second, a two-run double.

Oklahoma State's rally in the fifth started when Gessenia DeLaCruz led off the inning with a hit-by-pitch. Senior Shannon Kaufman and Shelby Davis followed with a pair of infield singles, loading the bases. A double by senior Ari Morrison over the head of the Sooner leftfielder scored two, and a wild pitch by OU hurler Kelsey Stevens scored the speedy Davis from third. A double down the left-field line just inside the third-base bag by Tiffany Mikkelson scored Morrison, trimming the Oklahoma lead to 5-4.

OU sophomore Paris Townsend was 2-for-2 with a run scored, an RBI and a walk. It was the first multi-hit game of her career.

The two teams close out the regular season Sunday at Marita Hynes Field in Norman at 2 p.m. on Fox Sports Southwest Plus.