Live Updates: Oklahoma Opens Super Regional Battle With Alabama

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 1 of the Norman Super Regional. Just keep the browser open and refresh for Chapman’s updates throughout the contest.

6:03 p.m.

Vandagriff lines out, and the Sooners take down the Crimson Tide 3-0.

Oklahoma will have a shot to punch another ticket to the WCWS tomorrow at 2 p.m.

6:02 p.m.

A nice falling grab from Hannah Coor has the Sooners one out away from picking up a Game 1 win over Alabama.

Vandagriff stepping in.

5:57 p.m.

Nothing going for the Sooners in the bottom of the sixth.

It’ll be back over to Landry to protect the three run lead in the seventh.

Abby Duchscherer, Larissa Preuitt and Audrey Vandagriff are slated to get things going for the Crimson Tide, but it looks like Patrick Murphy is preparing to throw a couple of pinch hitters out there.

5:51 p.m.

Sam Landry has been nails today.

She quickly responded from the double with a pair of strikeouts and a groundout to halt any momentum Alabama hoped to build.

The Sooners are up 3-0 headed to the bottom of the sixth, and Patrick Murphy is turning to right-hander Alea Johnson in the circle in relief of Jocelyn Briski.

Briski allowed three runs on six hits as well as two walks while striking out five.

5:48 p.m.

Alexis Pupillo doubles into the right field corner and the Crimson Tide have a runner in scoring position with no outs to start the sixth.

5:44 p.m.

The Sooners have only stranded four runners today, which is a nice departure from the nine runners they left on base in the third game of the regular season series between the two teams.

OU also has six hits today, which triples the two hits it registered off Briski in her Game 2 start last month.

Hannah Coor is coming in for the Sooners as a defensive substitution to start the sixth. She’s going into center field after taking Barker’s spot in the outfield. Dayton got shifted over to left, and Pickering is now in right field.

5:42 p.m.

Another big moment for freshman Sydney Barker.

She singles to the wall to bring home Dayton, which extends OU’s lead to 3-0.

Barker is peaking at the right time for the Sooners.

5:37 p.m.

Abby Dayton leads the bottom of the fifth with a double.

This is the exact spot in the lineup that delivered the runs in the third.

5:33 p.m.

Sam Landry delivered a huge full-count strikeout with a runner on third.

That’s her third strikeout of the day, and it comes in a huge moment to keep the lead at 2-0 as the game heads to the bottom of the fifth.

5:13 p.m.

Landry worked around a one-out walk to keep the Crimson Tide off the board again in the fourth.

5:06 p.m.

Ella Parker singled after Pickering’s home run and Gabbie Garcia reached on an error (it wasn’t ruled an error officially but it was an error in left), but the Sooners were unable to add more than the two runs.

OU on top headed to the fourth.

5:02 p.m.

Another Pickering note: she’s now hit 10 home runs in 44 NCAA postseason at-bats. Not bad for the sophomore star.

5:00 p.m.

And it’s the Sooners who get on the board first.

Kasidi Pickering goes yard, a two-run shot thanks to Abby Dayton’s leadoff walk, and OU is up 2-0.

Pickering now has 18 home runs, which is tied with Gabbie Garcia for the team lead.

That two-run shot was tracked a 246 feet with a 76 mph exit velocity.

4:56 p.m.

Landry has raced out to an 0-2 count against five of the 13 batters she’s faced today.

A testament to Alabama’s plate discipline that Landry only has one strikeout and that she’s had to throw 60 pitches to get through three innings.

But the most important thing is that the OU ace had kept the Crimson Tide off the board.

Abby Dayton will start things for the Sooners in the bottom of the third, then Pickering and Parker will get a second chance to make a difference. The game is zipping along so far all things considered.

4:52 p.m.

A two-out double by Alabama second baseman Kali Heivilin denies Sam Landry of her first 1-2-3 inning today.

Designated player Alexis Pupillo stepping up to try and plate the first run of the contest.

4:43 p.m.

Well, that was a half inning straight out of the regular season matchup between these two teams.

Had a pair of runners in scoring position with one out, but Ailana Agbayani and Isabela Emerling both struck out.

Oklahoma matches Alabama’s pair of stranded runners from the top of the second. The game is still scoreless headed to the third.

4:37 p.m.

The Sooners might be in business here.

Gabbie Garcia wore a pitch, then McEnroe-Marinas singled through the left side.

Sanders has a pair on with no outs.

4:32 p.m.

With a runner on second and two outs, the home plate umpire deemed a pitch hit the top of Alabama first baseman Abby Duchscherer’s hand.

Patty Gasso challenged and lost, the play was upheld.

Understand the importance of getting it right in the moment, but that seemed like a 50/50 challenge at best.

Landry avoided disaster, though.

She immediately got a slow grounder to get out of the inning and strand a pair of Crimson Tide runners.

Gabbie Garcia, Nelly McEnroe-Marinas and Cydney Sanders are due up for the OU offense in the bottom of the second.

4:20 p.m.

Oklahoma goes down in order in the bottom of the first.

The hardest hit ball was probably Sydney Barker’s groundout back to first. Otherwise got a routine fly out from Pickering and a foul out for Parker.

Briski got in and out in 13 pitches.

4:15 p.m.

Landry keeps Alabama off the board after a two-out walk, but 2-hole hitter Lauren Johnson made her battle.

The Crimson Tide left fielder fouled off five offerings in an 11-pitch at-bat. It ended in a fly out to right field, but running Landry’s pitch count up today will be key for Alabama tomorrow no matter who takes Game 1.

In total, Landry threw 22 pitches in the first.

4:06 p.m.

Huge first out for Sam Landry.

Audrey Vandagriff bounced out to first. She’s 50-for-58 stealing bases this year. Keeping the speedy freshman off the basepaths will make life that much easier for the OU ace in the first.

3:56 p.m.

The Crimson Tide are rolling with Jocelyn Briski in the circle.

In the regular season matchup with the Sooners, Briski pitched 8 1/3 innings, allowing three hits, three runs, two walks and she struck out three.

3:50 p.m.

Once again, no real shocks in the starting lineups.

Sam Landry will get the ball in the circle, as expected, and the Sooners are rolling with Sydney Barker in the outfield. Otherwise, the starting lineup is as expected.

Let’s Super Regional.