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Oklahoma Bounces Back to Force Deciding Game in Super Regional

After Friday's stunning loss, the third-seeded Sooners put together a complete performance.
Ryan Aber|
Oklahoma freshman Lexi McDaniel celebrates after hitting a home run against Mississippi State in the Norman Super Regional.
Oklahoma freshman Lexi McDaniel celebrates after hitting a home run against Mississippi State in the Norman Super Regional. | Carson Field / Sooners on SI

NORMAN — Abby Dayton waved her hands toward the crowd in left field in the bottom of the third inning.

Dayton acted a conductor for the fans in the bleachers, leading the "Boomer Sooner" chant.

Third-seeded Oklahoma had just broken open its Super Regional matchup with Mississippi State and the atmosphere had turned from a tense one to a much more festive event.

Facing elimination, the Sooners blasted the Bulldogs 7-1 Saturday in front of 4,146 fans to force a winner-take-all Game 3 Sunday for a Women's College World Series berth.

“Yesterday, I think we would all say one of our worst performances,” OU coach Patty Gasso said. “The rebound has been amazing. That’s what this team can do — they can turn it in a second. …

“That is Sooner softball.”

Start time time for Sunday's game will be announced later Saturday.

After Friday's 11-9 loss, Gasso said she had faith in how her team would respond as it faced elimination in a Super Regional for the first time since 2015.

The Sooners showed Gasso's faith was well-placed.

Audrey Lowry, who picked up the loss in relief in Friday's opener, started in the circle and kept Mississippi State's lineup in check.

“Extremely efficient, extremely effective, very calm, very confident,” Gasso said of Lowry’s performance.

Kai Minor delivered a one-out double to start a string of five consecutive Sooners reaching base. The hit extended Minor's hitting streak to 10 games.

Kendall Wells then delivered an RBI single to left center to score Minor.

The RBI was Wells' 88th of the season, breaking a tie with Tiare Jennings for the second-most in program history. Jennings holds the OU record with 92 in 2021.

After Wells' hit, Mississippi State starter Peja Goold walked Kasidi Pickering and Gabbie Garcia to force in a run and then Wells scored on Isabela Emerling's groundout to make it 3-0.

After a pitching change, the Sooners added another on a passed ball.

Dayton drew a walk, then pinch-hitter Lexi McDaniel bashed a three-run home run 266 feet into the outfield seats to make it 7-0.

Minor added a triple in the fourth, her seventh of the season. The freshman now has 29 multi-hit games.

Minor's speed put plenty of pressure on Mississippi State's normally strong defense, as the Bulldogs committed two errors — both on balls put in play by Minor.

The third-inning support was plenty for Lowry, who allowed just five hits and two strikeouts in the complete-game victory.

Not only was Lowry effective, she was efficient, needing just 47 pitches to get through the first five innings. Mississippi State had 14 at-bats lasting two or fewer pitches.

The Bulldogs didn't really threaten until the sixth, when they loaded the bases with a trio of singles and finally got on the scoreboard.

After a conference, Sooners pitching coach Jennifer Rocha stuck with Lowry, who walked Kinley Keller to force in a run before getting Abby Grace Richardson to fly out to deep center to end the inning.

Not only was Keller's walk the first of the day for Lowry, but she hadn't even gone to three balls on a batter until then.

Lowry needed 24 pitches to get through the sixth, but she cruised through the seventh.

Lowry walked Morgan Bernardini to lead off the final inning before getting a pop out on the infield, a strong defensive play from Emerling to get force Bernardini at second, and then another fielder's choice at second to end the game.

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The Sooners first inning ended in a wacky way.

Ella Parker appeared to steal second base fairly easily, but as Wells struck out, she stepped across the plate and the attempted throw down from Mississippi State catcher Des Rivera hit Wells in the helmet.

Home plate umpire Brett Higgins immediately called Wells for interference, with the double play ending the inning.

Oklahoma had runners on base in every inning but the fifth, but couldn't push any more runs across.

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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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