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Oklahoma's Miali Guachino Shuts Down Kansas to Move Sooners Closer to Regional Title

Kasidi Pickering's and Isabela Emerling's home runs gave the Sooners plenty of offensive support
Ryan Aber|
Oklahoma pitcher Miali Guachino delivers in an NCAA Tournament contest against Kansas at Love's Field.
Oklahoma pitcher Miali Guachino delivers in an NCAA Tournament contest against Kansas at Love's Field. | Carson Field / Sooners on SI

NORMAN — Miali Guachino shut down Kansas' lineup and the offense gave her plenty of support as Oklahoma rolled to a 9-0, five-inning run-rule win over the Jayhawks on Saturday at Love's Field.

The Sooners (50-8) will plenty Binghamton, Kansas or Michigan at 2 p.m. Sunday needing to win one game in two chances to advance to the Super Regional.

After Kasidi Pickering hit a homer in Friday's 11-0 win over Binghamton, Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso said she felt good about where Pickering was at the plate after an extended slump.

Pickering proved her coach right in the second.

After a scoreless first inning — their first inning without multiple runs in the tournament — the Sooners wasted no time getting on the board in the second.

Gabbie Garcia drew a leadoff walk, and then Pickering crushed Chloe Barber's 2-2 offering 272 feet to right to put Oklahoma up 2-0.

The home run was Pickering's 19th of the season and second in as many games.

Isabela Emerling then jumped on the first pitch she saw, with a 239-foot home run to center to extend the lead.

Emerling's home run was also her 19th of the season and the 180th home run of the season for the Sooners.

The Sooners blew the game open in the fourth, with Pickering drawing a leadoff walk before Emerling and Abby Dayton delivered back-to-back RBI doubles.

Three batters later, Kai Minor extended her hitting streak to seven with an RBI single to left. Garcia then delivered a two-run single before the Sooners made it 9-0 on a wild pitch.

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That was more than enough support for Guachino, who held Kansas to one hit, walking none and striking out six in five innings to improve to 15-2.

After allowing a leadoff single in the second, Guachino retired the next 12 hitters to finish off the game.

The Sooners had an unusual error to start the game. Dayton was brought into the infield as a fifth infielder for Kansas leadoff hitter Presley Limbaugh's at-bat.

Limbaugh grounded hard up the middle, Guachino deflected it slightly, and Dayton fielded it on the left side of second base but her throw to first was offline, allowing Limbaugh to reach base.

Binghamton faces Michigan in an elimination game shortly at Love's Field, with Kansas taking on the winner of that game in another elimination game later Saturday.

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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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