Texas softball drops Big 12 series opener to No. 1 Oklahoma in national top-five matchup

It can be death by a thousand paper cuts facing Oklahoma's softball lineup.

Stay within striking distance of the Sooners for four innings and watch the game get away the next inning.

That was the case Friday night in the Red River series opener at McCombs Field\, when a three-run fifth inning was all the top-ranked Sooners needed to run away from No. 5 Texas for a 5-2 win.

Leading 2-0 heading into the fifth inning, the Sooners (35-1, 13-0 Big 12) chipped away at Texas starting pitcher Mac Morgan. Cydney Sanders walked to get things started. Then Kinzie Hansen reached on a fielder's choice and Rylie Boone reached on an infield single. That brought up Jayda Coleman, who smacked a three-run home run to right field.

Coleman had two of OU's seven hits and drove all but one of its runs.

Meanwhile, the Longhorns (29-6, 9-4) barely had an answer hitting against Kelly Maxwell. The former Oklahoma State ace had a no-hitter going until two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning, when Ashton Maloney singled.

The Longhorns finally broke through with two runs in the seventh with an RBI double from Reese Atwood and an RBI sacrifice fly from Maloney. After a two-out walk to Victoria Hunter, UT brought the tying run to the plate in pinch-hitter Katie Stewart, but Maxwell escaped the jam with a game-ending groundout to short.

Game 2 of the three-game series is set for 7 p.m. Saturday and will be broadcast on ESPN.