Oklahoma's Women's College World Series Streak Over After Blowout Loss to Mississippi State

NORMAN — Over the last decade, Oklahoma has developed a reputation for big comebacks late.

But there was no miracle in the Sooners' bats Sunday, as Mississippi State stunned OU 6-0 in front of 4,250 at Love's Field in the decisive Game 3 of the Norman Super Regional.

Oklahoma's season ends short of the Women's College World Series for the first time since 2015 and the Bulldogs are heading to Oklahoma City for the first time in program history.

It was the Sooners' first shutout loss since June 2, 2019 against Alabama in the WCWS semifinals, and the first home shutout since April 16, 2015 in a run-rule loss to Baylor.

OU coach Patty Gasso said she felt like her team was pressing from the start.

“I think sometimes when you want something so bad, it just doesn't (happen)," Gasso said. "... I think sometimes we were just overswinging or our angle was wrong. ...

"We didn't need one hero, we needed 20."

Oklahoma had not dropped a Super Regional at home since 2007.

After OU was held scoreless in the sixth, a number of fans headed for the exits at Love's Field.

The majority, though, stayed — whether due to hope that the Sooners would mount yet another historic comeback or stunned frozen by what was happening in front of them.

Gasso gathered her team in front of the dugout going into the bottom of the seventh, getting their attention heading into their final opportunity of the day.

Isabela Emerling started the inning with just the Sooners' third hit of the day, a single up the middle.

Abby Dayton then flew out to center, and pinch-hitter Allyssa Parker was hit by a pitch to give Oklahoma some semblance of an offensive threat for the first time in the game.

Ailana Agbayani flied out to left, and Kai Minor grounded out to second to end the game.

After Saturday's 7-1 Oklahoma win, Mississippi State coach Samantha Ricketts, an OU alum and Gasso disciple, laughed when asked about the pressure on her team entering Sunday.

"There's no pressure on us. No one expects us to do that (win)," Ricketts said. "I think all the pressure is in their dugout."

Ricketts' Bulldogs came out Sunday showing that freedom, while the Sooners looked tight from the jump.

Mississippi State came into the series with a feared pitching duo of Alyssa Faircloth and Peja Goold.

But instead, Ricketts went with junior Delainey Everett, who had thrown just 13 1/3 innings entering the game, to make her first start of the season.

The Sooners managed just two hits in the first six innings— Ella Parker's first-inning single where she was thrown out trying to stretch the hit, and Minor's third-inning single.

Everett went the distance, walking three with three strikeouts to lift her team into the WCWS.

"I thought that was a bold thing to do but she was cool and calm and just got us out," Gasso said.

Everett put together the performance on her parents' wedding anniversary. Everett's father, Brandon, died unexpectedly in January 2025.

Oklahoma's pitchers also struggled, giving up two home runs and walking three.

Freshman catcher Kendall Wells left the game in the third inning after being hit in the flap guarding her jaw.

Wells stumbled out of the box, appearing woozy as she reacted as teammate Kasidi Pickering came over to check on her.

After nearly falling over, Wells recovered but left the game after conferring with Patty Gasso. Tia Milloy pinch ran for Wells.

Pickering struck out to end the inning, leading to an emphatic celebration from Richardson and the Bulldogs and a chorus of boos from Sooners fans upset by Wells being hit.

As "Tubthumping" played between innings — looping the lines "I get knocked down, but I get up again. You're never going to keep me down" — Wells returned behind the plate.

"I think it rattled a lot of us here. Unfortunately it's part of the game. You care first about Kendall more than anything. ... ," Gasso said on the ESPN broadcast following the inning. We've got to not let us affect us but when it's one of your best friends it just does."

Whether it was an effect of the previous half inning or not, Miali Guachino was touched up for a solo homer from Mississippi State's Paige Ernstes to put the Sooners in a 4-0 hole and lead Gasso to turn to freshman Berkley Zache in relief.

Zache made it through the inning without further damage, then was lifted for Audrey Lowry after walking the leadoff hitter in the fifth.

After Lowry got the first two hitters she faced to ground out, Morgan Bernardini blasted Lowry's 2-2 offering out to left to put the Bulldogs up 6-0 and not only put the Sooners' WCWS streak in further peril but put Oklahoma at risk of being run-ruled for the first time since 2015.

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It was a rough start for Guachino in the circle.

In Saturday’s win, Lowry didn’t walk a Mississippi State batter — or even go to a three-ball count — until the sixth.

Sunday, it took two batters for the Bulldogs to draw a walk.

After Nadia Barbary drew a one-out walk, Xiane Romero delivered a double to right and Kinley Keller followed with a two-run single to right center.

Guachino then got Bernardini to pop up on the infield, but the play was negated by Keller leaving early from first.

The Sooners had the option to take the result of Bernardini’s at-bat or to have Keller called out.

They opted to clear the bases, and Bernardini once again popped out on the infield to end the inning.

In the bottom half, Parker hit a hard drive to the wall.

Centerfielder Tatum Silva took a step in, and didn’t have a chance to recover to catch the ball, but quickly got back to the wall and fired to second to cut down Parker trying to stretch the hit into a double.

In the second inning, the Sooners put runners on first and second, prompting Gasso to pinch-hit Lexi McDaniel for Sydney Barker.

Saturday, it worked beautifully, as McDaniel came through with a three-run home run in OU’s 7-1 win to force the decisive Game 3.

Sunday, McDaniel grounded out to third.

Out of the batter’s box, McDaniel pointed at her foot, claiming the ball had fouled off her foot in the batter’s box.

Oklahoma Sooners, Lexi McDaniel — Oklahoma freshman Lexi McDaniel points to her foot before a challenge in Game 3 of the Norman Super Regional against Mississippi State. | Carson Field / Sooners on SI

Umpired conferred, sticking with the original call and leading the Sooners to challenge the call.

During the review, as the replay was being shown on the video board and after Oklahoma fans cheered seemingly convinced the replay showed McDaniel had been hit, Wells jumped on the rail and exhorted the fans to continue the energy.

Kendall Wells is on the gate at the top of the dugout firing up the #Sooners fans at Love’s Field during this crucial review pic.twitter.com/8tI7OHEzpu
— Ryan Chapman (@_RyanChapman) May 24, 2026

But moments later, the crowd turned first hostile and then silent as replay officials ruled there was not conclusive evidence that McDaniel had been hit.

The Bulldogs made it 3-0 in the third on Keller's infield single to score Morgan Stiles, who reached on a single, advanced to second on a passed ball and moved to third on a fly ball to center.

After the game, seniors Dayton and Agbayani reflected on their time at OU, with Agbayani calling her time as a Sooner "incredible" as she choked back tears.

"It's been fun, it's been exciting, it's been a rollercoaster," Dayton said. "... THis team was like ride or die. This is who I wanted to end it with."

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