Kendall Wells Homers Twice in Fourth to Lift Oklahoma to Run-Rule win, Sweep of Auburn

NORMAN — Patty Gasso said she wouldn't have been at the Love's Field on Sunday as a fan.

"The fans have been absolutely amazing," the Oklahoma softball coach said after the Sooners' 14-2, run-rule victory over Auburn on Sunday. "If it was windy like this, I would not go see my favorite team. So I appreciate the fans that come out and I see things blowing around them, and they're in their own little tornadoes out there as well, but they aren't moving. They're not getting up to leave. They are with us the whole way."

The sixth-ranked Sooners gave the crowd of 3,914 plenty to cheer about in the series finale against the Tigers, as freshman Kendall Wells crushed a pair of home runs in the fourth inning to regain the national lead in the category, OU stole four bases and Audrey Lowry was solid.

Wells' three-run home run capped the Sooners' nine-run fourth to put the exclamation point on OU's sweep in their SEC opener.

"That last ball she hit, I thought was going to the parking lot and then it looked like the center fielder almost caught it," Gasso said. "So that was a mind trick on me. But I will tell you, we did a lot of hit and runs today that were executed, we were stealing bases. They didn't want to throw down there and if you're not, then we're going to take advantage of that. Just a lot of timely hits, clutch hits."

But with her team leading 5-2 in the fourth, Wells jumped on Ella Harrison's 0-1 offering after Ella Parker drew a walk to begin the inning.

The 262-foot home run was Wells' 20th of the season, lifting her back into a tie with UCLA's Megan Grant for the national lead.

The Sooners weren't done in the fourth after Wells' home run, as Gabbie Garcia drew a walk and Kai Minor singled before Lexi McDaniel drove in two with a single to left.

Parker then extended the lead with a two-run single before Wells crushed a 225-foot home run to center, just over the outstretched glove of Auburn's Ma'Nia Womack.

The home run was the Sooners' 115th of the season, lifting them to a tie for 16th all-time in NCAA history — on just the first weekend of conference play.

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Oklahoma got on the board in the first inning on Kasidi Pickering’s two-run double to right.

After McDaniel reached on an error with one out, Ailana Agbayani singled to left, Sydney Barker moved the runners over with a sacrifice bunt and Abby Dayton drew a walk.

Pickering then laced a 2-2 pitch to the wall in right to plate the first runs of the game.

Auburn tied it in the top of the third on Daigle Wilson’s two-run homer to left that cut through the wind, which also slowed a bit just before Wilson’s homer before picking back up again almost immediately after.

Wilson’s homer came after Lowry walked the leadoff hitter in the inning.

Lowry came back to work around an error to keep the game tied.

Oklahoma regained the lead in the bottom half, on Minor's two-run double to left after Wells started the inning with a single and then Garcia reached on an error.

After a walk, Agbayani's groundout plated another run to make it 5-2.

Lowry (13-1) allowed two runs on three hits, walked one and had four strikeouts in four innings before giving way to Kierston Deal.

Deal retired the side in the fifth to put the game away.

Oklahoma continues play at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Memphis. The Sooners take on Ole Miss in a three-game series on the road beginning Saturday.