OU Softball: Oklahoma's Three HRs Send Sooners Past Oregon in Elimination Game

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma took a jab on Saturday and responded with a punch of its own on Sunday.

The No. 2 Sooners beat No. 16 Oregon 4-1 in Sunday’s elimination game, keeping their hopes alive for a fifth consecutive Women’s College World Series title. The win comes after the Sooners fell 4-2 against Texas the day before.

Oklahoma (52-8) must win two games in a row against Texas Tech Monday to reach the WCWS championship series for the fifth year in a row.

"Huge one for the Sooners," OU coach Patty Gasso said. "We're in elimination time now; you do everything and anything you can. I'm really happy and proud of these guys."

Oklahoma Pitcher Sam Landry | Carson Field, Sooners on SI

For the third game in a row, the Sooners allowed their opponent to score first. Oregon’s Dezianna Patmon belted a home run to center field in the second inning, giving the Ducks a 1-0 cushion.

The Ducks’ advantage didn’t last long, though.

Catcher Isabela Emerling hit a solo home run in the bottom half of the frame, tying the game at 1-1. And one inning later, Cydney Sanders drove in Nelly McEnroe-Marinas with a two-run blast to give the Sooners a lead they never surrendered.

Sanders added some insurance to Oklahoma’s lead in the fifth inning with a solo home run.

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Sunday’s win marked Sanders’ second time of the 2025 season with two home runs; she also did so against St. Thomas on April 3 (both in the same inning). Sanders — playing her third season at OU after starting her career at Arizona State — has hit five home runs in her three trips to the WCWS.

"I think just being present today was a really big factor for me," Sanders said. "It was pretty exciting. It may not look like it on TV or whatever, but I was excited on the inside."

Kierston Deal started the game for the Sooners in the circle. She pitched 2 ⅔ innings, allowing one earned run on four hits. The start was her second of the 2025 postseason, as she earned the win in Game 2 of the Super Regionals against Alabama.

Sam Landry, who entered the game in the third inning, earned the win. Landry pitched 4 ⅓ innings, striking out five batters and allowing only three baserunners.

"(Deal) came out very confident," Landry said. "It's fun going in behind someone else like that. So I think she kind of fed into what I was able to do today. She definitely set up all the batters that I faced thereafter to how I pitch to them."

Oregon (54-10) finished the game with six hits but left five runners on base. Entering Sunday’s game, the Ducks were 42-0 in games in which they hit a home run this season.

OU must defeat No. 12 Texas Tech twice on Monday to keep its five-year national championship streak alive.

Oklahoma Infielder Ailana Agbayani | Carson Field, Sooners on SI

Led by star pitcher NiJaree Canady, the Red Raiders mowed down their opponents in their first two WCWS games in program history. Texas Tech opened the 2025 WCWS with a 1-0 win against Ole Miss, and they followed that up with a 3-1 win against UCLA.

Because of their 2-0 start in Oklahoma City, the Red Raiders have a safety net.

If they lose Game 1 on Monday, they’ll have the chance to play in a winner-takes-all game immediately after. If the Sooners lose, their season will be finished.

"It's going to be a fight on our side to say we will not surrender for anyone or anything," Gasso said. "So that's how we're going to approach it."

First pitch of Monday’s game is scheduled for 6 p.m.