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OU Softball: Oklahoma Erases Another Deficit to Sweep Mississippi State

The Sooners fell behind by four runs again before delivering a second comeback victory over the Bulldogs on Sunday.
Ryan Chapman|
Oklahoma catcher Isabela Emerling
Oklahoma catcher Isabela Emerling | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

NORMAN — Oklahoma climbed out of an early hole for the second time on Sunday to sweep Mississippi State. 

The No. 2-ranked Sooners allowed the No. 16-ranked Bulldogs to plate four runs again in the top of the first before battling back. 

OU catcher Isabela Emerling delivered the decisive blow, a three-run bomb with two outs in the fifth, to seal the sweep.

Patty Gasso’s Sooners proceeded to close out the 9-6 win at Love’s Field.

"The resilience. Was not real comfortable looking up and seeing a four right away," Gasso said after the win. "But you rather it early and allow us to respond. And we did that in both games. I was really proud of that."

Oklahoma improved to 39-5 overall and 13-5 in SEC play with the win, and the Bulldogs fell to 33-14 on the year and 9-9 in league contests. 

Final Box Score
Final Box Score | OU Stats

Much like the first game of Sunday’s double header, Mississippi State wasted no time getting out in front. 

Sam Landry, who got the start for OU after finishing off the win in the first contest of the day, allowed a single and a walk with two outs in the first. Both runners came back to bite her. 

Morgan Bernardini’s double brought both runs home, then Jessie Blaine extended the lead to 4-0 with a two-run shot. 

But again, the Sooners found an immediate response. 

Gabbie Garcia’s 12th home run of the year was a two-run blast that cut the deficit down to 4-2, which is how the first inning finished. 

Landry was burned again with two outs in the second inning. Mississippi State center fielder Sierra Sacco crushed a solo shot to push the Bulldogs’ lead to 5-2.

The OU bats battled back with two outs in the second.

Hannah Coor bounced a home run off the top of the wall and into the left field bleachers to start the rally off. 

Then Kasidi Pickering fired a double up the right field line, and Nelly McEnroe-Marinas tied the game with the contest’s fifth home run. 

Coor’s outstanding game continued when she robbed Ella Wesolowski of a hit that likely would have plated two runs. 

"Hannah Coor had a day. On and off, at the plate and the field," Gasso said. "She made some big-time plays for us."

Instead, she ended the frame and brought OU’s offense back to the plate with a chance to take a lead for the first time.

Emerling’s two-out double amounted to nothing, however, and the game moved to the fourth inning still tied 5-5, but she would not be denied in the fifth. 

Both Ella Parker and Garcia drew walks to set the table for Emerling, and she obliterated the first pitch she saw to put her team up three with two innings to play.

 "I just wanted to do anything I could for Sam, honestly," Emerling said. "She was pitching her butt off and I was like, just do it for Sam. Have your pitcher’s back. So it was nice to get those insurance runs for her."

Wesolowski launched a solo shot to pull Mississippi State within two, but Coor made another great catch at the wall to get the Sooners out of the sixth with an 8-6 lead. 

McEnroe-Marinas added an insurance run in the bottom of the inning to put her team up 9-6, which made life a bit easier for Landry. 

The OU righty threw 27 pitches to seal the first victory of the day, then needed 102 pitches to roll through the first six innings in the day’s second contest. 

Still, Gasso sent her out in the seventh, and Landry finished the job.

"But when she was going into the seventh... we were on offense," said Gasso, "I kinda made mention to her, 'We're gonna make a change.' She looked at me and said, 'Ma'am. May I ask why?' 'Well, I don't know you can do it... You look like you're tired.' She said, 'I can do this.' 'I don't know.' She said, 'I can do this.' That's all I need to hear sometimes, so I let her do it.

"... I just want to hear that. I want to hear that passion."

She allowed six runs on seven hits and issued three walks, but struck out six Bulldogs to keep OU in the hunt for the SEC Regular Season Championship.

Next weekend, Oklahoma will welcome the No. 3-ranked Texas Longhorns. 

Game 1 of the Red River Rivalry from Love’s Field is slated for Friday at 5 p.m., and the contest will be broadcast on ESPNU.

Published
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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