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OU Softball: Oklahoma Tastes First Defeat of Season at Missouri

The Sooners could not take advantage of multiple scoring opportunities in 3-1 setback
Guerin Emig|
Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso
Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso | John Hoover / Sooners on SI

Oklahoma is unbeaten no longer.

Less than 24 hours after being run-ruled by the Sooners, Missouri knocked off the four-time national champions 3-1 Saturday afternoon in Columbia.

It wasn’t just the Sooners’ first defeat of the 2025 season – they are now 28-1 overall and 7-1 in SEC play – and nearly their first shutout loss since a 1-0 Women’s College World Series setback against Alabama June 2, 2019.

Nelly McEnroe-Marinas’ leadoff home run to left field in the top of the seventh inning saved OU’s 306-game scoring streak, but could not prevent defeat. Missouri relief pitcher Taylor Pannell issued a one-out walk to Cydney Sanders after McEnroe-Marinas’ homer, but then struck out Kasadi Pickering and got Ella Parker on a check-swing tap to catcher Julia Crenshaw. 

OU’s 31-game winning streak dating back to last year’s Women’s College World Series extinguished, the 18-14 Tigers celebrated their first SEC victory this season.

They had Pannell and starting pitcher Cierra Harrison to thank primarily. 

Harrison went the first four innings to pick up her seventh victory for Mizzou. Pannell went the final three innings for a hard-earned save. 

Neither was overpowering but both were clutch. OU went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position and 1-for-15 with runners on base. The Sooners stranded nine over the first five innings before Pannell set them down in order in the sixth and worked around some trouble in the seventh.

McEnroe-Marinas was hit by a pitch and Gabbie Garcia walked to start the game, then Harrison settled down and retired Sanders, Pickering and Sydney Barker. 

Ailana Agbayani laced a double to left-center to open the top of the second, then Harrison took care of Isabela Emerling, Hannah Coor and Abigail Dayton on two fly balls to left field and a grounder to shortstop Madison Uptegrove.

Garcia and Pickering reached in the top of the third with a walk and line-single to right field, but Harrison struck out Parker to end the inning. 

The Sooners put two more on in the top of the fourth thanks to Agbayani’s bunt single and Dayton’s walk, before McEnroe-Marinas lined to center fielder Claire Cahalan to end that threat. 

Sanders singled to the hole near Uptegrove and Pickering drew a walk with one out in the top of the fifth. Pannell responded by fanning Parker on four pitches and getting Agbayani to foul out to Uptegrove. 

The Tigers stranded eight runners of their own, but did cash in two runs in the bottom of the first and a single tally in the third.

Madison Walker got them on the board by taking OU starter Bella Smith’s four pitch over the center-field fence for her 13th home run. Three batters later, Stefania Abruscato doubled to left-center to bring home Taylor Ebbs for a quick 2-0 lead.

Ebbs made it 3-0 leading off the bottom of the third with a home run to right off OU reliever Kierston Deal. 

Deal pitched scoreless ball from there but the Sooners never solved the Harrison-Pannell combination. 

OU coach Patty Gasso referenced her hitters being “hesitant” and “off balance” during her middle-of-the-game interview on SEC Network Plus, but figured the Sooners would “find gaps” once they settled into the box. It didn’t happen. 

They’ll try for better luck in Sunday’s noon series finale at Mizzou Softball Stadium, which was packed with a program-record 4,146 fans Saturday.

Published
Guerin Emig
GUERIN EMIG

Guerin is a 25-year Oklahoma sports journalist. He spent the bulk of that time with the Tulsa World, where he partnered with Sooners On SI publisher John Hoover on the OU beat before eventually becoming a columnist. He lives in Tulsa with his wife, Christy, his sweetheart from Booker T. Washington's Class of ‘86.

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