OU Softball: Oklahoma Erases Early Deficit to Start 2025 With a Win

The 2025 season got off to a rocky start for Patty Gasso’s Oklahoma Sooners.

Cal State Northridge pushed No. 2-ranked OU in the season-opener, but the Sooners got a handle on things late.

Kasidi Pickering’s one-out triple put Oklahoma up in the bottom of the fifth inning, which was all the Sooners needed to get across the finish line.

The lull to start the game was understandable with so many new faces playing their first game at Oklahoma, and the team eventually shook off any potential nerves and locked in late.

OU won 7-2 in San Diego, which got Thursday’s doubleheader started off on the right foot.

After a slow start for both offenses, the Matadors opened the scoring in the top of the third.

Third baseman Vinessa Nunez doubled off of Pickering’s glove deep in the left-field corner to put a runner on second with one out.

Then Oklahoma endured a freshman moment.

Raegan Jackson hit a slow dribbler to Gabbie Garcia at shortstop, but as Nunez crossed her face headed to third base, Garcia let the ball sneak between her glove and the ground. Nunez scored off the error, but Garcia responded by turning a double play to end the top of the third.

In the bottom half of the inning, Utah transfer Abby Dayton had her shortstop’s back.

The 2024 Third Team All-American blasted a home run in her first OU at-bat, leveling the contest at 1-1.

All barrel 💣 https://t.co/Zcfag4lpHV pic.twitter.com/UN4MTxfhPT
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) February 7, 2025

Oklahoma then had a pair of two-out runners after Pickering walked and Nelly McEnroe-Marinas wore a pitch, but catcher Isabela Emerling was unable to put the Sooners in front.

Cal State Northridge had a response, however.

Kierston Deal gave up a single and a walk, then Alexa Landeros’s two-out single plated a run and put runners on the corners.

Gasso opted to make a change, bringing in Campbell transfer Isabella Smith for Deal, and she needed just four pitches for her first Oklahoma strikeout to send things to the bottom of the fourth with the Sooners trailing 2-1.

Deal’s day started out alright, as she retired the first seven batters, but then the Matadors adjusted.

In total, Deal pitched 3 2/3 innings, allowing three hits and a walk and one earned run.

Smith settled the game down, retiring the Matadors in order in the fifth, which gave Oklahoma’s offense time to reset.

Dayton returned to the plate to start the bottom of the fifth and she drew a walk, then Ella Parker delivered her first RBI of the season with a double that sent Dayton all the way home from first to level the contest 2-2.

Two batters later, Pickering gave the Sooners their first lead of the night.

She tripled, which brought Parker home, and then a throwing error into the dugout let Pickering casually trot home to put OU up 4-2.

Do your thing, @PickeringKasidi 👏

3B + the throw brings her home! pic.twitter.com/bZQbH2nBgS
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) February 7, 2025

The two-run lead was all Smith needed to close out the contest.

Smith retired all 10 batters she faced, fanning five Matadors in the midst of a dominant relief appearance.

Despite Smith having things well in hand, Parker still had more to say on the night.

She doubled to left field in the sixth inning, scoring freshman pinch runner Riley Zache and Dayton to extend the lead to 6-2.

.@ellaparkerrr_ providing the insurance!

3 RBI day for Ella! pic.twitter.com/q2nMbE2RK4
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) February 7, 2025

Then Pickering added another run with an RBI single to stack back-to-back three-run innings for OU’s offense.

Oklahoma has one more contest on Thursday, as the Sooners meet San Diego State immediately following the win over Cal State Northridge.