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Lexi McDaniel Homers Twice — in an Inning — as Oklahoma Blows out Alabama State

The freshman hit three home runs Friday over a pair of run-rule Sooners' victories.
Ryan Aber|
Oklahoma infielder Lexi McDaniel
Oklahoma infielder Lexi McDaniel | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

NORMAN — Lexi McDaniel hammered two third-inning home runs as Oklahoma pourded it on Alabama State once again Friday, beating the Hornets 23-3 in five innings at Love's Field.

The sixth-ranked Sooners hit seven home runs to run their season total to 72.

After the game, the teams gathered in the visitor's dugout on the first-base side for an impromptu dance party.

Sooners coach Patty Gasso promised there would be some new chants and dances for the Sooners in Saturday's doubleheader.

Sydney Barker got the scoring going with a 239-foot two-run homer to center with one out in the first. The home run was Barker's third of the season.

Then after the Sooners loaded the bases with two outs, Tia Milloy delivered a grand slam to the very back of the batter's eye shrubbery in center field.

The 263-foot home run was Milloy's third of the season.

She later added another, a no-doubt two-run homer, a 245-footer, to center in the fourth.

Chaney Helton, making her first start of the season, nearly hit a solo shot to make it back to back, but Alabama State's Jaibriel Terrell leapt at the wall to pull Helton's drive back in and end the inning.

The Hornets' dugout went even crazier in the top of the second when Ayana Frank touched up Miali Guachino for a solo home run for Alabama State's first run of the weekend.

After scoring at least six runs in their first five at-bats against Alabama State in the series — all four innings of Thursday's 32-0 wun in the series opener and Friday's first inning — the Sooners were held without a run in the second.

Kasidi Pickering and Gabbie Garcia popped up on the infield and Barker lined out to short to end the 1-2-3 inning.

Lexi McDaniel crushed a 232-foot solo homer to left to lead off the third. It was McDaniel's third home run of the season and second of the day.

Isabela Emerling then followed with a homer to right, her sixth of the season, to make it 8-1 Sooners.

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Oklahoma was far from done in the inning.

Three consecutive walks loaded the bases before Helton drove in a run with a groundout.

Pickering followed with a two-run double, Garcia delivered an RBI single, abd Barker doubled in a run before McDaniel drilled a 226-foot home run to left center to make it 15-1.

McDaniel finished 4 for 4 with four runs and three RBIs.

Nelly McEnroe-Marinas hasn't been in the starting lineup in the first three games of the weekend, but appeared in both games Friday though didn't take an at-bat.

McEnroe-Marinas is dealing with some shoulder soreness, Gasso said after the game.

"Nothing serious but it's not worth trying to press anything," Gasso said. "We were doing that with Gabbie last weekend so it's too early in the season to play around with something that you want to make sure is ready. Nothing major at all."

Oklahoma's deep roster makes it easier to sit players that are battling injuries that they could otherwise play through, Gasso said.

"I haven't had as deep a team as this," Gasso said. "... We can move people all over and I feel very confident. It's not like, 'Ooooh, I don't want to do that.' ... It's going to become a strength of ours because if somebody has an injury, we're going to be able to fill that hole pretty quickly. We've just got such depth on the bench that's ready to come in."

Kierston Deal came on in relief of Guachino in the fourth and struggled once again, allowing a leadoff double before retirning the next two batters. Talee Sims then hammered a two-run homer to right center, once again sending the Hornets pouring from their dugout in celebration.

Helton delivered a one-out, 221-foot home run to left center in the fourth.

Perhaps the coolest moment of the night came shortly after Helton's home run when Allyssa Parker stepped to the plate.

Parker's at-bat was announced over the public address system by her younger sister, Zoeigh, who was serving as the Sooners' junior PA announcer for the inning.

Milloy finished 2 for 3 with six RBIs and three runs.

Guachino improved to 5-0 with the win. The second-inning home run off her was the only hit she surrendered. She struck out five with one walk.

Sydney Berzon threw a scoreless fifth to finish off the game.

The Sooners resume play against Sam Houston State at 2 p.m. Saturday at Love's Field, followed by a 5:30 p.m. game against Alabama State.

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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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