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Home Runs Doom Oklahoma as Arkansas Ties Series

Kendall Wells hit her 33rd home run of the season but the Sooners' bats couldn't keep up.
Ryan Aber|
Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso looks down between pitches in a contest against Kentucky earlier this season.
Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso looks down between pitches in a contest against Kentucky earlier this season. | Ryan Chapman / Sooners on SI

NORMAN — Kendall Wells hit her 33rd home run of the season, but it wasn't enough to lift top-ranked Oklahoma to a win over No. 8 Arkansas.

The Razorbacks used a late two-run home run to take the lead, then held off the Sooners in a 3-2 Arkansas win at Love's Field.

Oklahoma (41-6, 14-3 SEC) has dropped three of its last four games.

"Their pitcher was very, very good against us," Sooners coach Patty Gasso said. "And we were not really settled in the box they way we wanted to."

The Sooners finished with just four hits. Oklahoma had nine at-bats of two pitches or fewer, going 1 for 9 in those at-bats.

"As a coach, when they have a certain rhythm or way they like to attack pitchers, I don't want to get in their way," Gasso said. "But if you're really gritty, if you're really paying attention, you're understanding that, wow, that took two pitches, so maybe I need to do this or that. Just didn't think that we were that sharp tonight in those type of spaces."

After the game, there were challenges issued in the locker room by both the coaches and by experienced players.

"I think you see every team reach a hard part of the season and I think we’re there right now and we understand what coach is asking of us and I think we’re really ready to step up," Sydney Berzon said. "I think you’ll see a different team on the field tomorrow. We’re ready to keep attacking from here but sometimes you have to go through these tough times to really bring out the best in you."

After Tianna Bell's two-run homer in the sixth, the Sooners quickly cut the deficit in half on Wells' 238-foot solo home run to left.

The home run moves Wells within one of tying Jocelyn Alo's program record for home runs in a season and within four of tying the NCAA record.

But Robyn Herron came on to strike out Ella Parker and then got Gabbie Garcia to foul out to end the inning.

Berzon retired the side in the order in the sixth, getting three groundouts, to keep it a one-run game.

Isabela Emerling, who had homered twice in the series, led off and struck out on a ball low and away.

Kasidi Pickering then line out to center on the first pitch, leaving Ailana Agbayani to try to keep the game alive. Agbayani grounded out to second to end the game.

Just after Oklahoma tied it in the fifth, the Razorbacks came back to take the lead in the sixth off Berzon.

Berzon started the inning by hitting Ella McDowell with the first pitch, then Bell crushed Berzon's first pitch 259 feet to left center to put Arkansas ahead 3-1.

Arkansas jumped on top in the second on Kennedy Miller's two-out RBI double down the right-field line.

Miller's hit drove in Kailey Wyckoff, who reached with a single after Miali Guachino retired the first two hitters of the inning. With a 3-2 doubt to Miller, Wyckoff took off on the pitch, allowing her to come around and score without a throw.

After a walk, Karlie Davison's nearly made it 4-0 but Parker made a leaping grab at the wall to end the inning and keep OU's deficit at 1-0.

In the third inning, Arkansas leadoff hitter Reagan Johnson flied out to left, but it was Parker, the right fielder, that caught it, as the Sooners were using an extreme outfield shift.

Two batters later, left fielder Abby Dayton made a diving grab of McDowell's liner to left for the second out of the inning.

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The Sooners' bats were quiet until the fifth, when Emerling led off the inning with a 262-foot home run to left center to tie the game.

The home run was the 16th of the season for Emerling, extending her career high. Emerling had a grand slam in Oklahoma's series-opening win Friday.

Emerling also homered off Arkansas pitcher Payton Burnham in last season's SEC Tournament.

The Sooners and Razorbacks wrap up their series at 1 p.m. Sunday at Love's Field. The game will be streamed on SEC Network+.

"The learning of the lessons, to me, are over," Gasso said. "Because what we're doing is we're wasting time. We're just kinda halfway doing it and just kinda feeling out and we're wasting innings. ... So we just wanna take more advantage of our opportunities and not take hitting for granted or defense for granted, pitching for granted. We've still gotta come together on this. We've done a good job on piecing some of that together. But our best is waiting on us. They know that. I know that. I'm just anxious."

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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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