Citlaly Gutierrez describes what went wrong in the sixth inning vs. Oklahoma

Texas just couldn’t stop Oklahoma in the Women’s College World Series finals, losing both games to the Sooners in a decisive title series.

In the second game, Texas and Oklahoma sort of went back and forth. The Longhorns get the action going with a run in the top of the second but immediately gave up two in the bottom of the inning. However, they wound up scoring one run in three straight innings and added another in the third and fourth to retake a 3-2 lead.

Of course, Oklahoma came right back at ’em, scoring three more runs in the bottom of the fourth to make it 5-3. After a scoreless fifth, Texas did get another run across the plate in the top of the sixth to bring it to 5-4 as the game winded down.

But it’s that sixth inning where the game went south for good. Pitcher Citlaly Gutierrez kept the lid on Oklahoma’s offense in her first inning of work, the fifth, but then allowed three more OU runs to make it 8-4, a deficit Texas just wasn’t able to overcome in the top of the seventh. Ultimately, that would be the final score of the final college softball game of the season.

After the game, Gutierrez was asked how Oklahoma was able to break the game open in the bottom of the sixth.

“I mean, we faced them multiple times this year. They’re a team that’s going to adjust. They’re a great team,” answered Gutierrez. “Just sometimes they just pass the bat, execute on mistakes. That’s it.”

When Gutierrez made mistakes, the Sooner bats were all over them. The Longhorn pitcher also notes that an overwhelmingly home crowd doesn’t hurt, either.

“But, I don’t know, just sometimes the environment can be overwhelming sometimes. I try not to let it overtake me. I don’t know.”

Citlaly Gutierrez wasn’t the only Texas player to emphasize the advantage Oklahoma had with the atmosphere. Kayden Henry also commented on the boost OU gets from the fans after the loss:

“I know on our end, it’s loud, it’s a lot of noise. It can seem like a hostile environment. For them, they have a lot of momentum and fans on their side,” said Henry.

Clearly, the atmosphere was a big difference-maker for Oklahoma. When the going got tough, OU always had a roaring crowd by their side, while Texas basically felt like they were playing a road game.