summer senior sports reporter

Cydney Sanders

Junior infielder Cydney Sanders during the game against Liberty University on March 2.

 Aden Choate/OU Daily

Oklahoma (21-1, 2-0 Big 12) defeated Iowa State (9-12, 0-2 Big 12) 4-0 and 11-2 in a doubleheader at Love’s Field in Norman on Saturday.

Junior first baseman Cydney Sanders had a standout performance and recorded a combined three home runs and seven RBIs.

Here are the three takeaways from OU’s wins:

The Sooners’ offense starts slow, Maxwell doesn’t

Saturday’s contests against the Cyclones marked the beginning of Big 12 play for the Sooners in their last season in the conference.

Before the first game against Iowa State, OU had won 27 consecutive regular season conference games and had not lost a Big 12 regular season game since the 2022 season when it suffered a 4-2 defeat to Texas.

Against the Cyclones, the Sooners’ streak continued. 

Despite going 2-0 to start Big 12 play, Oklahoma’s offense had a slow start but was able to find its rhythm in the fourth inning.

A score in the third off a single hit by senior third baseman Alyssa Brito and a three-run home run by Sanders in the fourth, which was the only OU homer in the first game, put the Sooners ahead and would be enough for them to earn the win even though they would not score again.

The Sooners went just 5 of 22 at the plate and batted .227. Before Saturday's matchups, OU had accumulated a batting average of .385.

Graduate transfer pitcher Kelly Maxwell started for OU during its loss against Louisiana and struggled. However, Maxwell pitched well against the Cyclones.

Against Louisiana, Maxwell was on the mound for 3.2 innings, allowed three runs and recorded four strikeouts. During the first game against Iowa State, Maxwell pitched for 7.0 innings, allowed zero runs and tied her season high with eight strikeouts.

This was Maxwell’s sixth time facing the Cyclones in her collegiate career, and her fourth overall win against them.

Sooners able to fight back after early Iowa State lead

The second contest between the Sooners and Cyclones brought an aura of competitiveness that was lacking in the first game.

The Cyclones offense struck quickly, scoring two runs in the first inning, but the Sooners immediately responded with five runs of their own, including two home runs — a two-run homer by senior centerfielder Jayda Coleman, and a solo home run by Sanders.

Senior pitcher Nicole May had a solid performance, pitching for four innings with three strikeouts and only allowing two earned runs. May kept her composure on the mound after she gave up the two scores, earning her 55th career win.

Cydney Sanders makes history

Sanders had an impact in both of Saturday’s contests.

However, while she helped OU start 2-0 in conference play, she also made history at the Sooners’ new stadium.

After Oklahoma struggled to get going offensively during the opening weekend, Sanders is the first Sooner to record multiple home runs at Love’s Field in the same game, and she is now tied with Brito for the most homers this season with seven.

She hit the only home run in the first game, and the junior first baseman hit two home runs during the second contest.

Next, the Sooners will play Iowa State at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Love’s Field in Norman.

This story was edited by Gracie Rawlings. 

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