In the first game of a three-game series that could determine Texas softball’s chances of winning the SEC regular-season title, No. 4 Texas (32-4, 9-3 SEC) hosts No. 2 Oklahoma (38-3, 11-1) Friday at McCombs Field.
The Longhorns lost two of three games last week to Alabama to drop out of a tie for first place with the Sooners and now trail their fiercest rival by two games in the SEC standings. Texas never needs any extra motivation when facing off against OU, but the league ramifications add some extra spice.
Article continues below this ad
Oklahoma took an early lead with two runs in the first before Texas’s Teagan Kavan and Oklahoma’s Audrey Lowry settled into a pitcher’s duel. A storm system rolled into Austin around 7 p.m., causing a weather delay. The game resumed play around 7:32 p.m. before another rain delay before the bottom of the seventh inning.
Follow below for live scores and updates Friday as the Texas Longhorns face the Oklahoma Sooners in Game 1 of an SEC series.
MORE: Texas softball: Back healthy, shortstop Viviana Martinez happy to again be helping UT
Texas Longhorns infielder Viviana Martinez (23) warms up to bat as utility Leighann Goode (43) bats in the second inning of the Longhorns’ 9-1 win over the Houston Cougars in their first game of the Longhorn Invitational at Red and Charline McCombs Field in Austin, Feb. 27, 2026.
Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman
Texas goes down quietly and gets shut out for the first time this season. OU’s Audrey Lowry allows six hits in a complete-game gem. The teams return to action Saturday at 7 p.m. in Game 2.
Article continues below this ad
Teagan Kavan finishes the seventh with her 13th strikeout of the game. If this is it for her, she did an admirable job against the best lineup in the nation. OU has six hits and drew four walks against the Texas ace. Oh, and another rain delay. When we return, Texas will have three outs to try band rally for the win.
The game resumes at approximately 9:36 p.m. with Katie Stewart of Texas facing OU starter Audrey Lowry.
Article continues below this ad
Kayden Henry lays down a bunt for a leadoff hit for Texas, but the Sooners get their second double-play of the game on a grounder from Leighann Goode. OU is doing just enough in a game where each team has six hits.
Isabela Emerling smashes a solo homer over the left-field wall to give OU some insurance. Teagan Kavan has matched her season-high with 12 strikeouts, which the Texas pitcher had previously thrown March 13 in a win over Ole Miss. But she needs some help from the Texas bats.
Article continues below this ad
Ashton Maloney just gave a reminder of her speed with a leadoff triple into the left-field corner, but she then gets gunned down at the plate in the next at-bat by center fielder Kai Minor while trying to score on a shallow fly by Kaydee Bennett. She’s fast, but not that fast. That double play snuffs out the momentum from Maloney’s triple.
Teagan Kavan takes a sharply hit liner off her right foot on a single by Kai Minor. She limps around but stays in the game, much to the appreciation of the crowd. Minor gets a rare steal against Texas catcher Reese Atwood, but Kavan fans OU slugger Kendall Wells for her 11th strikeout of the game and 500th of her career8 to strand Minor.
Article continues below this ad
Reese Atwood leads off with the Longhorns’ third hit of the game, but Texas can’t move her along against OU ace Audrey Lowry. The Longhorns are 0-for-7 with runners on base.
The rain delay apparently didn’t cool down Teagan Kavan. The Texas ace retires the side and is now up to nine strikeouts. She’s two shy of 500 career strikeouts.
Article continues below this ad
The clouds have opened up, and we’re in a rain delay. Radar says 15-20 minutes or so. Officials are hoping to restart the game around 7:35 p.m. with the Sooners coming to the plate.
Kaydee Bennett legs out an infield single for Texas’s second hit after a generous decision by the official scorer, but that’s it for Texas. It’s starting to rain in East Austin, so let’s see how the defenses handle some wetness – and let’s see if the lightning stays away and they keep playing.
Article continues below this ad
A lot of fans didn’t have a pitcher’s duel on the softball Bingo card tonight, but here we are. Teagan Kavan retires the side in order, and she’s already up to seven strikeouts. OU freshman phenom Kendall Wells entered the game with 30 home runs, which leads the nation and ties the freshman NCAA single-season record. She’s 0-for-2 tonight.
OU starter Audrey Lowry is rolling. The lefty has allowed just that one leadoff hit to Kayden Henry in the first inning but has now retired six Longhorns in a row.
Article continues below this ad
She had a rough start with the two early runs, but Texas starter Teagan Kavan has found her groove. She’s retired five of her next six out by strikeout, and Texas avoids any damage after a two-out fielding error by 3B Jaycie Nichols.
Nicknamed Cactus Jack, OU sophomore starter Audrey Lowry has proven prickly to opposing hitters. She has an SEC-high 17 wins, a 2.08 ERA and a .93 WHIP. She gets some help from 2B Ailana Agbayani, who makes a nice play on a flair to shallow center by Reece Atwood for the third out. Texas strands Kayden Henry after a leadoff hit.
Article continues below this ad
Those Sooner sluggers don’t take long to flex at the plate. Kai Minor leads off with a single up the middle, and Ella Parker follows with a line-drive homer into the graduate-student housing behind left field. But Texas pitcher Teagan Kavan settles down and avoid further damage.
We’re underway at McCombs. Teagan Kavan gets her customary start in the first game of this massive series. She’s 15-2 with a 2.68 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP this year, numbers that aren’t quite as good as her first two collegiate seasons. But she’s proven clutch in big games like these; in her last meeting with the Sooners at last year’s WCWS, Kavan threw a complete game in a 4-2 Longhorn win.
Article continues below this ad
SpotPos# PlayerBatsAvg1cf22 Minor, KaiL.4962rf5 Parker, EllaL.4583c1 Wells, KendallR.3974ss42 Garcia, GabbieL.4155dp7 Pickering, KasidiL.45261b13 Emerling, IsabelaR.44472b50 Agbayani, AilanaL.45583b77 Barker, SydneyR.2959lf16 Dayton, AbbyL.44410p24 Lowry, AudreyL
Article continues below this ad
SpotPos# PlayerBatsAvg1cf21 Kayden HenryL.40622b43 Leighann GoodeR.4193ss23 Viviana MartinezL.3764c14 Reese AtwoodR.38451b20 Katie StewartR.4896lf44 Kaiah AltmeyerL.3337rf7 Ashton MaloneyL.3158dp5 Kaydee BennettL.34893b24 Jaycie NicholsR.32810p17 Teagan KavanR-
Like almost all of the Sooners’ opponents, Texas hasn’t had much success against the eight-time national champions. Oklahoma leads the all-time series 64-28 while Texas is 13-21 against the Sooners at home. But Texas is looking for back-to-back series wins vs. Oklahoma at home for the first time in program history after beating the Sooners in a Big 12 series in 2024. That series win by Texas marked OU’s first conference-series loss since 2011. Texas also won the last meeting between the rivals, a 4-2 win at last year’s Women’s College World Series that knocked OU into the loser’s bracket.
Article continues below this ad
Where: McCombs Field in Georgia
TV/radio: ESPN2; texaslonghorns.com
Reach Texas beat reporter Thomas Jones via email at tjones@statesman.com.
Article continues below this ad