OKLAHOMA CITY — As even the most casual college softball fan knows, Texas and Oklahoma are intimate rivals. The two teams, who will start the Women’s College World Series best-of-three championship series Wednesday, have competed together in the Big 12 since the 1997 season, and they’ll continue to face off as conference rivals in the SEC when the two schools join the league on July 1.

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For the first time since Cat Osterman pitched Texas to three WCWS appearances in the 2000s, the two programs seem to stand on equal ground. Top-ranked Texas (55-8) beat the No. 2 Sooners (57-7) in their season series for the first time since 2006, but Oklahoma countered with a win in the Big 12 Tournament title game.

What can we glean from the four games that Texas and Oklahoma split this year? Let’s take a look at how those contests went.

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April 5, Austin: Oklahoma 5, Texas 2

Kelly Maxwell threw a complete-game gem for Oklahoma, fanning 10 and holding Texas to just three hits. The Longhorns tried to make things interesting with two runs in the bottom of the seventh at McCombs Field, but a double by Reese Atwood proved to be the only RBI hit for the Horns. Mac Morgan took the loss for Texas, giving up seven hits and all five runs before giving way to Estelle Czech in the fourth inning.

April 6, Austin: Texas 2, Oklahoma 1

Sophomore pitcher Citlaly Gutierrez started slowly while giving up a run in the first inning, but she settled in and scattered six hits across seven innings for the complete-game win. The offense found more success with five hits and two runs against Oklahoma starter Nicole May. Texas shortstop Vivi Martinez proved especially productive at the plate by going 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run.

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April 7, Austin: Texas 2, Oklahoma 1

Texas ended Oklahoma’s dominance in the Big 12, handing the Sooners their first series loss in 13 years. This one came down to the long ball; the Sooners’ Ella Parker blasted a solo homer in the top of the third, but Texas freshman Katie Stewart countered with a two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth. Teagan Kavan started in the circle for Texas and gave up three hits and the homer in 3⅔ innings, and Czech threw 3⅓ scoreless innings in relief.

May 11, Oklahoma City: Oklahoma 5, Texas 1

Back in the friendly confines of Devon Park in the Big 12 Tournament title game, Maxwell and May teamed up to allow just two hits by Texas, including an RBI triple by Kayden Henry in the second inning. Parker had two hits to pace Oklahoma. Texas' Gutierrez suffered her first loss of the season, but she pitched well, amassing a career-high 10 strikeouts. Only two of the runs allowed were earned since the Texas defense committed two errors.

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What we learned from the four games this season

Texas and Oklahoma rank second and third in the nation, respectively, in runs scored per game while combining for almost 16 runs a contest. But pitching dominated in their four head-to-head matchups, when the teams combined for 19 runs.

Oklahoma will likely lean on ace Maxwell in the WCWS championship series, since she had 23 strikeouts and gave up just eight hits in 17 innings against Texas. But she's coming off a grueling eight innings Tuesday: 148 pitches in the extra-inning, 6-5 win over Florida. She may need at least a day to refill her tank.

Texas coach Mike White will have some tough decisions to make, even though his team has yet to allow a run in three WCWS games. Kavan has emerged as the Longhorns' unquestioned ace and seems ready for at least two starts, and Morgan has thrown well in Oklahoma City but struggled in her one start this season against the Sooners. Gutierrez hasn’t seen any action at the WCWS, but she had a strong season, especially against Oklahoma. She had two complete games in her two starts against the Sooners and gave up a total of three earned runs with 12 strikeouts and not one walk.

On Wednesday morning, White told the American-Statesman that he'll start either Kavan or Morgan in Game 1.

The wildcard for Texas in the bullpen? Czech threw six innings against Oklahoma this season and didn’t allow a run while giving up three total hits and no walks.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas, OU split four softball games this year. What that means in WCWS