Live Updates: Oklahoma One Win Away From WCWS Return

NORMAN — Follow along as Ryan Chapman offers his real-time observations from Love’s Field as the 2-seeded Oklahoma Sooners take on the 15-seeded Alabama Crimson Tide in Game 2 of the Norman Super Regional. A win for OU will send the Sooners back to the WCWS, while a win by the Crimson Tide will force a winner-take-all contest on Sunday. Just keep the browser open and refresh for Chapman’s updates throughout the contest.

4:11 p.m.

Lowry allowed a pair of two-out singles, but it only delayed the inevitable. The Sooners are headed back to the WCWS after defeating Alabama 13-2 in five innings.

4:02 p.m.

Oklahoma will take a 13-2 lead to the bottom off the fifth.

Alabama has to cut this down to a seven-run lead to force a sixth inning. Freshman left-hander Audrey Lowry is headed to the circle to close out the Tide.

3:58 p.m.

Nelly McEnroe-Marinas hits one 268 feet.

Oklahoma is up 13-2.

Absolute demolition of the Crimson Tide.

The Sooners are still batting, but they’re just three outs away from a ninth-straight berth in the WCWS.

3:52 p.m.

Gabbie Garcia crushes her second homer of the day, another two-run shot.

Sooners on top 12-2, and that feels like the final gasp for the Crimson Tide.

Patrick Murphy is bringing in senior right-hander Emily Winstead with one out.

3:49 p.m.

Ella Parker hammers a home run 252 feet into the right field bleaches.

That extends OU’s lead to 10-2, and means Alabama will have to score in the bottom of the fifth to push this contest to a sixth inning.

3:43 p.m.

Deal ends the fourth with a strikeout. She’s up to four on the day. She’s allowed just three hits, with two of those being solo home runs. Solid day for Deal so far.

3:40 p.m.

Another solo shot for the Crimson Tide. This one came off the bat of catcher Marlie Giles, a 248-foot no-doubter.

The Sooners must now score again to run rule Alabama, as OU leads 9-2 in the bottom of the fourth.

3:36 p.m.

The Sooners had a chance to do more damage, but OU stranded a pair in the top of the fourth.

3:28 p.m.

Today’s attendance at Love’s Field is 4,564. Just missed a stadium record.

3:20 p.m.

Kali Heivilin gets one back for the Crimson Tide.

She parked one into the front row in center field, and the two-out bomb makes it 9-1 at Love’s Field.

3:16 p.m.

The inning mercifully ends for Alabama.

OU sent 12 to the plate there. Got eight across on eight hits, left one runner on.

Up 9-0, that should be an incredibly comfortable lead for Deal to pitch with.

3:11 p.m.

The Crimson Tide are making another pitching change. Alea Johnson comes in to end Catelyn Riley’s day.

Sydney Barker will get her second chance of the inning shortly.

3:08 p.m.

Ella Parker plates two with a double.

The Sooners have batted around and put an eight-spot on the board here in the third with one out. Avalanche.

3:04 p.m.

Dayton adds two more with a single.

The Sooners are up 7-0. Kasidi Pickering is coming up to bat, and it appears Alabama will change pitchers again.

Murphy is going back to Catelyn Riley after a brief timeout on the bench.

Regardless, this has the feel of a five inning ballgame.

3:02 p.m.

Emerling delivers a single to plate another.

The Sooners are up 5-0 with runners on the corners. Tia Milloy is pinch running for Emerling, and Abby Dayton is up at the plate.

Feels like this is slipping away from Alabama.

2:59 p.m.

The Sooners are rolling. Cydney Sanders moved McEnroe-Marinas to third with a single to the wall, then Ailana Agbayani laid down a fantastic bunt.

There was a miscommunication between Briski and Giles behind the plate. Giles wanted Briski, who fielded the bunt, to throw straight to first. Instead, Briski came home well after McEnroe-Marinas slid in, and everybody was safe.

Patty Gasso brought Chaney Helton in to run for Agbayani, and the Sooners have runners on first and second with one out and a 4-0 lead. OU catcher Isabela Emerling is up to bat.

2:54 p.m.

McEnroe-Marinas drew a walk after Garcia’s one-out bomb, and Patrick Murphy is changing pitchers.

Jocelyn Briski is in to replace Riley in the circle. The Sooners got all the looks they wanted at Briski yesterday.

2:52 p.m.

The OU freshmen get it done in the top of the third.

First, Sydney Barker poked a single through the left side after the ball deflected off the outstretched glove of Alabama shortstop Salen Hawkins.

Then, Gabbie Garcia happened.

She hit her 19th home run of the year, this one on a rope to right field.

Trackman data estimated the homer at 222 feet with a 76 mph exit velocity.

Sooners on top 3-0.

2:45 p.m.

Massive inning for Kierston Deal.

With two on and one out, she fires back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning and prevent the order from rolling over.

Those swing-and-miss pitches are what Deal has been missing from her inconsistent starts. Getting those early against Alabama today.

2:42 p.m.

Big strikeout for Deal. She fans Duchscherer to bring up Larissa Preuitt.

2:40 p.m.

Marlie Giles worked through a fantastic at-bat for the Crimson Tide. She fouled off a pair of Deal’s full-count offerings to draw a walk. Two on and one out for Alabama with 8-hole hitter Abby Duchscherer stepping up.

The good news for Deal and the Sooners is they can now turn a double play to end the inning I suppose.

2:36 p.m.

Salen Hawkins’ one-out double puts the first real pressure of the day on Kierston Deal. She’s got Alabama’s 7-hole and 8-hole hitters coming up, so she’ll want to navigate this before the top of the order rolls back around.

2:30 p.m.

Pickering was unable to inflict more damage, so the Sooners will carry a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the second.

2:28 p.m.

The bottom of OU’s lineup strikes again.

Isabela Emerling drew a two-out walk, which allowed Abby Dayton a bite at the apple.

She singled back up the middle to plate Nelly McEnroe-Marinas.

Much better job by the Sooners running up the pitch count and it paid off.

Now the lineup turns over for Pickering with runners on first and second.

2:19 p.m.

Deal issues a two-out walk, but otherwise no real great contact from Alabama in the first.

Very different feel than her first outing this year against the Crimson Tide, where the entire lineup seemed dialed in on her from the very start.

2:10 p.m.

Parker’s double gets quickly wasted. Both Barker and Gabbie Garcia grounded out, and Riley got through the first by throwing just 13 pitches.

If Oklahoma can’t get a run across, it at least has to get Riley to throw more pitches with runners on.

Kierston Deal gets the ball next for OU.

2:08 p.m.

Ella Parker knifes a double into the right field corner and the Sooners have a runner in scoring position with just one away.

True freshman Sydney Barker is up next. She hit a solo shot in Game 2 of the regular season series.

2:06 p.m.

Kasidi Pickering goes down swinging to start the game and things are officially off and running in Norman.

2:00 p.m.

Almost time to get things rolling here at Love’s Field.

Oklahoma is the designated away team today. Should the series need a Game 3 tomorrow, the Sooners will be the home team.

Kasidi Pickering will lead things off against Alabama right-hander Catelyn Riley.

1:40 p.m.

In Deal’s appearance against Alabama earlier this year, she allowed four runs on three hits while issuing one walk. She also registered a pair of strikeouts in her 2 1/3 inning outing.

1:38 p.m.

Kierston Deal is starting in the circle for the Sooners.

Oklahoma's starting lineup for Game 2 against Alabama. | OU Stats

Alabama's starting lineup for Game 2 against Oklahoma. | OU Stats

1:30 p.m.

We’re still waiting on starting lineups here in the Love’s Field press box, but the question will be what does Patty Gasso do at starting pitcher.

Yesterday, Patrick Murphy suggested that Alabama would likely pitch Catelyn Riley today.

Sam Landry threw 108 pitches yesterday, so will Gasso start Kierston Deal, Audrey Lowry or Isabella Smith and hold Landry off until a potential closing situation?