Behind clutch hitting, resilient pitching, and a barrage of home runs, No. 4 Oklahoma Softball delivered a Sunday showcase at Love’s Field, sweeping a crucial doubleheader against No. 15 Mississippi State with wins of 6-5 and 9-6. The sweep secured OU’s third SEC series sweep of the season and extended its unbeaten all-time record against the Bulldogs to 11-0.
The Sooners (39-5, 13-5 SEC) had to claw back from early deficits in both contests, but timely swings and a rock-solid bullpen proved to be the difference. The Bulldogs (33-14, 9-9 SEC), meanwhile, were left to rue missed opportunities after jumping out to four-run leads in the opening inning of each game, only to see those advantages evaporate under the weight of Oklahoma’s firepower.
Game One: Oklahoma 6, Mississippi State 5
The first pitch of the afternoon set the tone for what would be a dramatic doubleheader, as Mississippi State’s Sierra Sacco launched a leadoff home run deep into the Norman sky. The Bulldogs piled on three more runs before Oklahoma could record three outs, forcing head coach Patty Gasso to turn to her bullpen early.
Enter Isabella Smith.
The right-hander entered in the first inning and quickly doused the fire, retiring the only two hitters she faced in the opening frame and then keeping the Bulldogs in check for the next four innings. Her 4.2 innings of steady relief proved vital, earning her ninth win of the year and marking the longest relief appearance by a Sooner this season.
“She was nails,” Gasso said postgame. “To come in like that, with the pressure on and the score already tilted, and give us a chance to chip away — that’s big-time.”
Oklahoma didn’t take long to respond. Kasidi Pickering opened the bottom half of the first with a first-pitch home run of her own, cutting the deficit to 4-1. Cydney Sanders and Ailana Agbayani added back-to-back RBI hits later in the inning to pull the Sooners within a run.
By the third, Oklahoma had evened the score. After Ella Parker reached on a single and advanced on a Bulldog error, Agbayani delivered a sacrifice fly to plate the tying run.
But Mississippi State refused to go away quietly. Sacco singled with two outs in the fourth and scored on Nadia Barbary’s double down the left field line, nudging the Bulldogs back in front.
Once again, the Sooners answered. In the fifth, Parker’s leadoff single started a rally. She and Gabbie Garcia both advanced on a wild pitch, and Sanders delivered another key RBI knock to tie it at five. Moments later, another errant pitch allowed Garcia to scamper home with the go-ahead — and ultimately winning — run.
Sam Landry took over in the sixth and nailed down the final five outs to earn her fourth save of the season.
Pickering, Parker, and Sanders all tallied two hits in the opener, while Smith’s gritty relief and Landry’s composure in the clutch anchored the victory.
Game Two: Oklahoma 9, Mississippi State 6
The nightcap felt eerily familiar, as the Bulldogs once again raced out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Mississippi State’s two-out magic was alive and well, as Morgan Bernardini ripped a two-RBI double and Jessie Blaine followed with a two-run homer to silence the home crowd.
But this Oklahoma team doesn’t stay quiet for long.
Gabbie Garcia brought the crowd back to life with a towering two-run homer to right in the bottom of the first, and the Sooners kept the pressure on. After Sacco’s second homer of the day pushed the MSU lead to 5-2 in the top of the second, OU stormed back with a three-run frame of its own.
Hannah Coor lined a solo homer to left-center, and Pickering doubled to keep the rally going. That set the stage for freshman Nelly McEnroe-Marinas, who delivered one of the biggest swings of her young career: a two-run shot to the opposite field to tie the game at five.
“She’s just got a fearless approach,” Gasso said of McEnroe-Marinas, who now has 10 home runs in SEC play. “She’s been huge for us all year and came through again tonight.”
The two sides traded scoreless frames until the bottom of the fifth, when Oklahoma dealt the knockout blow. With two on and two out, Isabela Emerling connected on a high fastball and deposited it into the right-field bleachers for a three-run blast, giving the Sooners their first lead of the game.
It was the 15th comeback win of the season for Oklahoma, and one of the most emphatic.
“We don’t panic,” Garcia said. “Even when we’re down early, we know what we’re capable of. We just keep swinging and keep fighting.”
Though Mississippi State’s Ella Wesolowski trimmed the lead with a solo homer in the sixth, McEnroe-Marinas answered with her second long ball of the night, a laser to left that capped the scoring at 9-6.
Landry, who had earned the save just hours earlier, gutted out a complete game in the finale — her 12th of the season. The junior scattered seven hits and struck out six to pick up her 15th win.
McEnroe-Marinas, Emerling, and Garcia each had multi-RBI efforts, while Parker scored twice and reached base three times.
Numbers That Matter
- Oklahoma hit six home runs on the day and seven total in the series.
- The Sooners are now 33-0 when scoring at least six runs this season.
- OU improved to 19-2 at home and 4-1 in one-run games.
- The five home runs in game two tied a season high, previously set against Wichita State on March 26.
What’s Next?
With their eyes set on the top spot in the SEC, the Sooners face their biggest regular season test yet as No. 3 Texas comes to Love’s Field for a three-game series beginning Friday, April 25. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT, with postseason implications and Red River bragging rights hanging in the balance.
If Sunday’s doubleheader taught us anything, it’s that Oklahoma is ready for whatever comes next — and they’ll bring power, poise, and plenty of fight with them.
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