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Oklahoma Sets Records, Puts on Power Show in Series Opener Against Georgia

The Sooners hit four homers on their way to an emphatic victory over the Bulldogs on Friday night.
Ryan Chapman|
Oklahoma catcher Kendall Wells celebrates a home run in the second inning at Love's Field.
Oklahoma catcher Kendall Wells celebrates a home run in the second inning at Love's Field. | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

NORMAN — Oklahoma got everything it wanted out of its series-opener with Georgia. 

The Sooners picked up another win and set a pair of records in the process. 

Freshman star Kendall Wells crushed the first pitch she saw in the second inning for a home run. It was her 35th of the season, which set the OU single-season record, and it was the team’s 162nd of the year, which set the NCAA team record. 

Gabbie Garcia got in on the fun in the third inning to smash the team’s 163rd long ball of the year, which helped Oklahoma roll to a 10-2 win over the Bulldogs in six innings on Friday night at Love’s Field. 

The No. 1 Sooners improved to 44-6 overall on the year and 16-4 in conference play, while No. 15 Georgia fell to 34-13 overall and 10-9 in league action. 

Final Box Score
Final Box Score | OU Stat

While the offense rewrote the record books, starting pitcher Audrey Lowry worked nicely with Oklahoma’s defense to limit the Bulldogs’ work on the scoreboard. 

The visitors totaled 10 hits off Lowry, but were only able to convert the traffic on the bases into two runs. 

Oklahoma rolled up a double play to end the top of the first, then Lowry induced a pair of ground balls with two on to stay clean in the second. 

Georgia third baseman Bailey Lindemuth singled up the middle to finally get the Bulldogs on the board in the fourth. 

With two on and only one out, OU pitching coach Jennifer Rocha strolled to the circle to talk things over with Lowry. 

After a quick conference, Lowry got the Bulldogs to pop up twice to end the inning, which gave the offense enough time to truly put things out of reach.

Things truly got going after Wells’ homer in the second.

Kai Minor drew a walk in the third and Ella Parker doubled to put a pair of runners on with no outs for Isabela Emerling. 

The senior smoked a ball right at Georgia second baseman Kierstin Roose, and she was unable to field the ball cleanly to try and gun Minor at the plate. 

Instead, she settled for the out at first and OU went up 2-0. 

Garcia then turned on the fourth pitch she saw to extend the advantage to 4-0. 

The next at-bat of the evening for Garcia went the same as the first. 

She launched her 21st home run of the year, which tops last year’s mark of 20 for the star shortstop, to put OU in front 6-1.

Two batters later, freshman Lexi McDaniel got aboard with a two-out single, and outfielder Abby Dayton brought her home with a two-run shot that bounced off the top of the wall in center and out of the park. 

Patty Gasso then called upon junior Kasidi Pickering, who had been held out of the lineup in the previous two games, to pinch hit with a chance to end the game. 

Pickering didn’t hit the ball out, but she did draw a walk to keep energy high at Love’s Field. 

Ailana Agbayani was put back into the game to run for Pickering, and she was caught stealing to send the game to the sixth with OU leading 8-1.

Right fielder Sarah Gordon tried to get Georgia back in the game in the sixth. 

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She knifed a double off the top of Emerling’s outstretched glove and into the right field corner to start the inning, and two batters later, Gabie Novickas singled to bring her in after Gordon moved up to third on a ground ball. 

Lindemuth then reached after Agbayani made an athletic play to stop the ball, but she was unable to get the out to put two on. 

Lowry battled back with a strikeout for the second out of the inning, then she got out of the inning with a ground ball to send the offense back to the plate with an 8-2 lead. 

Garcia’s night wasn’t done. 

She dropped a double into the gap with the bases loaded to bring home two runs and close out the win. 

Garcia drove in six runs on Friday, and Lowry struck out four and allowed no walks in six innings of work.

The Sooners and the Bulldogs will return for Game 2 of the series at Love’s Field at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday.

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Ryan Chapman
RYAN CHAPMAN

Ryan is co-publisher at Sooners On SI and covers a number of sports in and around Norman and Oklahoma City. Working both as a journalist and a sports talk radio host, Ryan has covered the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the United States Men’s National Soccer Team, the Oklahoma City Energy and more. Since 2019, Ryan has simultaneously pursued a career as both a writer and a sports talk radio host, working for the Flagship for Oklahoma sports, 107.7 The Franchise, as well as AllSooners.com. Ryan serves as a contributor to The Franchise’s website, TheFranchiseOK.com, which was recognized as having the “Best Website” in 2022 by the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters. Ryan holds an associate’s degree in Journalism from Oklahoma City Community College in Oklahoma City, OK. 

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