All Sooners

OU Softball: Oklahoma Grand Slam Sinks San Diego State in Extras

The No. 2-ranked Sooners plated five runs in the top of the ninth to erase an early deficit and beat San Diego State on Thursday night.
Ryan Chapman|
Oklahoma's Ella Parker (5) and Kasidi Pickering (7)
Oklahoma's Ella Parker (5) and Kasidi Pickering (7) | SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Through two games there’s no sign of a sophomore slump in sight for Ella Parker or Kasidi Pickering. 

The duo dismantled Cal State Northridge in No. 2 Oklahoma’s season debut, then they staged an encore against San Diego State. 

OU trailed 3-1 heading into the fifth inning, but Patty Gasso’s sophomore duo delivered four RBIs to put Oklahoma in front, setting up a wild 11-6 Sooner victory that wasn't over until a grand slam in the ninth inning.

Pickering’s three-run shot made it 5-3 and gave the Sooners their first lead against the Aztecs, putting on a show for the sold out crowd in San Diego in the process. 

Still, Oklahoma needed late game heroics to move to 2-0 on the year. 

Outfielder Hannah Coor laid down a squeeze bunt in the top of the eighth inning to score Isabela Emerling, putting the Sooners back in front. 

The Aztecs battled back, leaning on small ball to get one run off OU’s true freshman lefty Audrey Lowry, to send the game to the ninth tied at 6-6.

It was Emerling who ensured there would be no doubt in the ninth, belting a grand slam to break the tie and give OU a 10-6 lead.

Ailana Agbayani then rounded the bases herself off a hard single up the middle single and a three-base fielding error in the outfield, and Oklahoma closed down shop in the bottom of the ninth to win 11-6.

Final Box Score
Final Box Score | OU Stats

San Diego State’s defense turned a pair of double plays in the first two innings, allowing a pinch hitter to deal the first blow on Thursday night. 

With two on and two out, San Diego State coach Stacey Nuveman-Deniz turned to the bench to bring in Shannon Cunningham. 

The move proved to be a stroke of genius. 

Down in the count 0-2, Cunningham connected with OU starting pitcher Sam Landry’s delivery and she blasted the ball just past the outstretched glove of Coor in center field to put the Aztecs up 3-0 in the second inning. 

Parker cashed in on true freshman Sydney Barker’s leadoff walk in the third inning.

The OU sophomore ripped a grounder back up the middle with two outs to cut the deficit to 3-1, but the Sooners stranded another pair of runners to head to the bottom half of the inning.

Oklahoma put Emerling and Agbayani aboard in the fourth, but the Aztecs turned their third double play of the night to end the threat and keep the Sooners off the board yet again. 

Parker ensured the San Diego State defense couldn’t spoil her plans in the fifth. 

With Abby Dayton already on first, Parker dropped the ball into the outfield grass with a double to the wall that allowed the Utah transfer to go from first all the way home and cut the lead down to 3-2.

Cydney Sanders then drew a two-out walk to put runners on first and second for Pickering. 

The Aztecs made a pitching change as Pickering stepped in, but it didn’t matter. 

Oklahoma’s right fielder obliterated the fourth offering she saw well beyond the bleachers lying past the outfield wall to put the Sooners up 5-3.

San Diego State would respond, however.

Grace Uribe’s two-out, two-RBI single in the bottom of the fifth leveled the game at 5-5.

Landry ended the inning with her ninth strikeout of the night, but Oklahoma’s offense had more to do as the game headed to the sixth. 

Uribe then stepped into the circle to help out, and the Sooners were retired in order, allowing the Aztecs to carry momentum into the bottom of the sixth. 

San Diego State put its first two runners aboard with a pair of singles, and a steal put runners on second and third with no outs to heap pressure on Landry. 

Gasso’s faith in her new right-handed pitcher was rewarded.

Landry fired back-to-back strikeouts before Gasso turned to Lowry, the freshman left-hander, to try and end the threat. 

The moment wasn’t too big for Lowry, as she fired a strikeout of her own to send the game tied to the seventh. 

Landry’s night ended after she allowed nine hits, a walk and five runs but she also dealt 11 strikeouts in her Oklahoma debut. 

Parker and Pickering both walked in the top of the seventh, helping to load the bases for Emerling, the North Carolina transfer, who stepped up to the plate with two outs. 

In her first massive moment as a Sooner, Emerling grounded out to third and the Aztecs went to the bottom of the seventh with a chance to walk the game off. 

Gasso stuck with Lowry into the seventh, and the freshman was again nails. She sat the Aztecs down in order to give her offense another chance to take the lead. 

With international tiebreaker rules in effect, a runner started on second for both teams in the eighth inning. 

Agbayani was thrown out at first, but she moved the runner, Emerling, over to third, and then Barker wore a pitch to put runners on the corners for the Sooners. 

Coor's squeeze then put OU on top.

Dayton and Nelly McEnroe-Marinas were unable to add to the lead after the squeeze play, and Gasso trotted Lowry back out one more time to cling to the one-run lead and secure the victory. 

The Aztecs called for a sacrifice bunt to start the eighth, moving the runner over to third, and a fielder’s choice tied the game back up at 6-6.

Lowry responded and rung up her third strikeout of the night to send the game to the ninth. 

Emerling was brought up with the bases loaded again in the ninth, and the result was a bit different than the seventh. 

The OU catcher crushed the first pitch she saw, tallying her first grand slam as a Sooner to put Oklahoma up 10-6. 

Agbayani followed the decisive blast with a sharp single, but San Diego State center fielder Jazmin Williams misplayed the ball and let it roll to the wall. Gasso let Agbayani show off her wheels and the BYU transfer rounded the bases to extend the lead further. 

Lowry closed the game out in the ninth.

In her first appearance, Lowery faced 10 batters and allowed no hits while fanning five Aztecs.

The Sooners are back in action with two games on Friday. The first of those will be a 3 p.m. meeting with Cal Baptist.

Published | Modified
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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