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OU Softball: Oklahoma Clinches First SEC Series in Dramatic Win Over South Carolina

The Sooners walked off South Carolina in the first game of a doubleheader on Sunday afternoon at Love's Field.
Ryan Chapman|
Oklahoma's Gabbie Garcia
Oklahoma's Gabbie Garcia | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

NORMAN — Oklahoma and South Carolina combined to hammer eight home runs on Sunday, but it was a base hit that decided the game. 

OU freshman Gabbie Garcia ended a back-and-forth contest with a walk-off hit to left-center to push the Sooners past the Gamecocks 10-9 in the first game of a doubleheader at Love's Field. 

The victory clinched the first-ever SEC series victory for the No. 2-ranked Sooners, who moved to 21-0 on the year. 

Garcia’s game-winner was ruled a double and drove in her second RBI of the day, which paired nicely with third baseman Nelly McEnroe-Marinas’ six RBIs off of two three-run home runs to fuel OU’s win. 

In a matchup of the nation's two last remaining unbeaten teams, OU takes the series. Despite going blow-for-blow with Oklahoma’s offense for the second game in a row, the Gamecocks go into Sunday afternoon's series finale with a couple of 10-9 losses and a 20-2 record. 

Final Box Score
Final Box Score | OU Stats

In Friday’s series opener, the Sooners hit three home runs off South Carolina’s pitching staff. They matched that total in the first inning to start Sunday. 

Abby Dayton wore a pitch and Kasidi Pickering walked to bring up McEnroe-Marinas, the OU captain. 

After fouling off the first pitch, McEnroe-Marinas fouled off another, and South Carolina right fielder Abigail Knight charged toward the net up the first-base line, but she was unable to make the catch. 

The next pitch, McEnroe-Marinas launched a three-run shot. 

That was just the beginning, as Garcia, the freshman shortstop, went back-to-back with McEnroe-Marinas with a solo homer of her own to put OU up 4-0.

The bomb marked the fifth consecutive game in which Garcia has hit a home run. 

After Garcia, it was senior first baseman Cydney Sanders’ turn to take South Carolina pitcher Jori Heard deep, capping off the back-to-back-to-back jacks. 

The Gamecocks responded with consecutive home runs of their own by Knight and Natalie Heath to start the second inning and immediately cut the deficit to 5-2.

After the home run barrage, the game settled back down until the third inning. 

South Carolina moved a runner over to third with two outs in the top half the frame, but OU starter Isabella Smith fired her third strikeout of the game to keep the Gamecocks off the board and bring her offense to the plate. 

McEnroe-Marinas opened the bottom half of the inning with a double, and was able to advance 60 feet thanks to Garcia’s groundout to the right side. 

Sanders was unable to bring McEnroe-Marinas home, but Ailana Agbayani’s bloop single was enough to plate the run and push Oklahoma’s lead out to 6-2. 

Just as it did in Friday’s series opener, South Carolina immediately fought back. 

The Gamecocks opened the fourth with a walk and two singles to load the bases for slugger Arianna Rodi. 

Smith struck her out, but third baseman Ella Chancey tied the game with her first long ball of the year, a grand slam to straightaway center. 

Another single marked the end of Smith’s day, as Patty Gasso replaced her with Paytn Monticelli. 

The right-handed flamethrower struggled with command early, however, as a passed ball and wild pitch moved the runner over to third. 

Those mistakes allowed for South Carolina to take the lead with a sacrifice fly from Knight. 

Monticelli responded with a strikeout, but the Gamecocks took the 7-6 advantage to the bottom half of the inning. 

A mistake proved costly for Oklahoma in the fifth.

Pickering made a phenomenal diving catch for the second out of the inning, but then mishandled a single that bounced into her which let the ball roll behind her toward the wall. 

South Carolina pinch runner Chloe Lackey was on the move regardless, and she went all the way from first to score off the fielding error to put the visitors on top 8-6.

Ella Parker and Pickering reached on consecutive walks in the fifth to get things going for OU’s offense. 

McEnroe-Marinas then put the Sooners back in front 9-8 with her second three-run shot of the day.

The two-homer day from McEnroe-Marinas was matched by Heath, who tied the game again with a two-out, solo shot off Monticelli in the top of the sixth. 

Left-hander Kierston Deal came in for Oklahoma to finish the sixth, and after OU’s offense went down in order, she returned to the circle to start the seventh.  

Parker and Pickering both walked to start the bottom of the seventh, but McEnroe-Marinas was unable to add to her career day as she struck out. 

Garcia smoked a double into the left-center, however, to close out the win.

The Sooners and Gamecocks will both regroup and close out the series at Love’s Field at 5:20 p.m. Sunday.

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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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