NORMAN – No. 7/7 Oklahoma (44-7, 14-1 Big 12) clinched a share of its fifth straight Big 12 championship Saturday at Marita Hynes Field with a 4-0 win over Texas Tech (23-31, 6-11).

The run Oklahoma is on is unprecedented. Since the Big 12 was formed in 1996, no other program has won more than two straight league titles. Additionally, OU now has 13 total Big 12 titles with nine coming in the regular season and four from the previously held Big 12 Tournament. The next closest team is Texas with eight total crowns.

Only Michigan (nine) in the Big Ten has a longer active streak of winning its conference, while North Dakota State in the Summit League has also won five straight like Oklahoma.

Saturday’s victory was the 19th in a row for Oklahoma. It’s now the fifth longest streak in program history and is the longest run since winning 23 in a row from Feb. 9 to March 4 during the 2007 season. Additionally, OU has won 26 of its past 27 contests.

Sophomore Paige Parker was brilliant in the circle for Oklahoma, facing the minimum 21 batters. She struck out nine with one hit allowed and no walks to improve her record to 26-3 on the season. She has earned a win in 16 straight appearances, two of which were in relief.

Texas Tech’s only baserunner came via a single by Kierra Miles in the first inning, but she was thrown out trying to steal second. From there, Parker retired the last 18 batters she faced.

Parker hasn’t given up an earned run in 23.0 straight innings and has allowed just two over her last 40.2 frames (0.34 ERA). In fact, the OU pitching staff has given up two earned runs over the last 10 games, tallying a 0.21 ERA over those 66.0 innings.

The run support for Parker was provided by a pair of two-run homers.

In the fourth inning, sophomore Nicole Pendley drew a one-out walk. Two batters later, fellow sophomore Lea Wodach sent a line drive to the left of the batter’s eye in center field for her seventh home run of the season and her first since March 11.

In the next inning, freshman Caleigh Clifton extended her on-base streak to 25 games when she singled through the right side with two outs. Fellow freshman Shay Knighten batted next and homered to almost the same spot as Wodach. For Knighten, it was her team-leading 11th homer of the season.

Senior Erin Miller and Sydney Romero each went 2-4 in the game. Miller leads OU with 25 multi-hit games this year and has at least two hits in each of her last five contests. Romero ranks second on the team with 17 multi-hit performances.

Information provided courtesy of Oklahoma softball.

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