The 15th-ranked OU softball team continued its streak of dominance against rival Oklahoma State on Wednesday night, winning 8-1 for its 14th straight Bedlam victory.

Head coach Patty Gasso said the team played with more energy than normal in the rivalry game, almost too much so at the start.

“This team was very amped, and absolutely ready to play,” Gasso said. “They were so ready to play that we were trying to hit three-run bombs with nobody on base.”

The Sooners (32-13, 9-4 Big 12) blew the game open with some timely home runs in the third and the fourth innings.

In the third inning with sophomore left fielder Haley Anderson on second base and two outs, the Cowgirls walked senior first baseman Samantha Ricketts intentionally to get to freshman designated player Katie Norris.

Norris made them pay by hitting an RBI single to put the first run of the game on the board. Junior catcher Lindsey Vandever followed Norris with a three-run home run, her seventh homer of the year, to make the game 4-0.

“We are carrying a lot of momentum as an offense so when you feel it as a team you just have confidence in everyone,” Vandever said.

The game had a special significance to Norris, who is from Stillwater.

“This was an exciting night for Katie, a nervous night, it was a lot of things for her,” Gasso said. “She did a fantastic job of battling to get her base hit and RBI.”

The Cowgirls responded with a run of their own in the top of the fourth inning when catcher Ashley Boyd hit a solo home run, but the OU offense wasn’t done yet.

In the bottom of the fourth the Sooners exploded once again with four more runs. Sophomore outfielder Krystle Huey, Anderson, and freshman infielder Evan Sallis all singled to load the bases.

Junior second baseman and national player of the year finalist Amber Flores came to the plate with one out and hit a grand slam to extend the Sooners’ lead to 8-1.

“For Amber the bottom of the lineup did a good job getting on for her and creating some pressure on their pitchers,” Gasso said.

The grand slam was Flores’ team-leading 13th of the season. Flores also leads the team in RBIs with 49. She said the atmosphere helped her and the whole team in the game.

“The crowd was unbelievable tonight, and I was excited for the opportunity to play in front of my family,” Flores said.

Senior pitcher D.J. Mathis started for OU and gave the team a strong performance, only giving up one run and four hits in 5 1/3 innings of work.

“D.J. was fired up, she threw very well,” Gasso said. “It was probably one of the better games she’s had. She had a nasty change-up working that kept them very off balance.”

The Sooners now look ahead to an important series against Big 12 adversary Texas A&M.

Freshman pitcher Allee Allen came in to relieve Mathis in the top of the sixth.

Allen threw 1 2/3 innings, faced five batters and struck out two, giving up no runs.

The Aggies dropped out of the top 25 in the national rankings this week. The two teams will face off on at 2 p.m. Saturday and noon on Sunday.