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Big First Inning Helps Oklahoma Clinch Outright SEC Title

Sydney Berzon was excellent in the circle as the Sooners rolled to victory
Ryan Aber|
Oklahoma pitcher Sydney Berzon throws against Sam Houston.
Oklahoma pitcher Sydney Berzon throws against Sam Houston. | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

Oklahoma jumped out to a quick lead and Sydney Berzon made it hold up from there, as the top-ranked Sooners secured an outright SEC regular-season title with a 6-4 win over Texas A&M on Saturday at Davis Diamond in College Station, Texas.

Kendall Wells went 0-for-4 with a walk finishing the regular season with 36 home runs, one behind the NCAA single-season home run record set by Arizona's Laura Espinoa in 1995.

Kai Minor, whose triple in the first game of the day drove in what proved to be the game-winning run, blasted a 1-2 pitch out to left center to give the Sooners a quick lead.

It was Minor's eighth home run of the season and Oklahoma's first home run to lead off the game this season.

After the next two hitters were retired, Gabbie Garcia and Lexi McDaniel kept the inning alive with singles.

Kasidi Pickering, who has slowly been smergine from a slump, jumped on the first pitch she saw, blasting her 17th home run of the season off the top of the wall in right center.

The home run was Pickering's first since April 4.

That was plenty of support for Berzon, who held the Aggies to just two hits with no walks and five strikeouts in five innings.

The biggest Texas A&M threat came in the bottom of the first, when Kennedy Powell led off with a single and then Berzon hit Mya Perez with one out.

But Berzon came back to strike out Micaela Wark and KK Dement to end the inning.

Powell had the only other hit against Berzon, a third-inning bunt single.

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In the third inning, the Sooners got a scare when Sydney Barker was shaken up after being hit by a pitch. But after a visit from a trainer and Patty Gasso, Barker remained in the game.

In the fifth, Wells came to the plate with the bases loaded with a chance to tie the record with a grand slam.

But Wells got under the first pitch she saw, flying out to center to end the inning.

That came moments after Minor reached on an error, allowing Tia Milloy to score.

Oklahoma added another in the sixth on Ella Parker's leadoff home run.

The home run was OU's NCAA-record 173rd of the season and the 21st of the season for Parker.

Freshman Allyssa Parker came on in relief of Berzon, retiri g the side in order in the sixth.

Texas A&M broken through against Parker in the seventh, first scoring on Kelsey Mathis' one-our RBI single to right and then getting a three-run home run from Paislee Allen.

Gasso then went back to Audrey Lowry, who earned the win in relief earlier in the day, came on, getting Larisa Perez to ground out to second then got Powell to fly out to shallow center to end the game.

The Sooners (48-7, 20-4 SEC) now move on to the SEC Tournament, where they'll take on the winner of the 8-9 game between LSU and Georgia at 7 p.m. Thursday in Lexington, Ky.

OU won two of three on the road vs. LSU and swept Georgia last weekend.

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Ryan Aber
RYAN ABER

Ryan Aber has been covering Oklahoma football for more than a decade continuously and since 1999 overall. Ryan was the OU beat writer for The Oklahoman from 2013-2025, covering the transition from Bob Stoops to Lincoln Riley to Brent Venables. He covered OU men's basketball's run to the Final Four in 2016 and numerous national championships for the Sooners' women's gymnastics and softball programs. Prior to taking on the Sooners beat, Ryan covered high schools, the Oklahoma City RedHawks and Oklahoma City Barons for the newspaper from 2006-13. He spent two seasons covering Arkansas football for the Morning News of Northwest Arkansas before returning to his hometown of Oklahoma City. Ryan also worked at the Southwest Times Record in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and the Muskogee Phoenix. At the Phoenix, he covered OU's national championship run in 2000. Ryan is a graduate of Putnam City North High School in Oklahoma City and Northeastern State University in Tahlequah.

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