NORMAN — No. 4 Oklahoma Softball (39-5, 13-5 SEC) was resilient and explosive on offense, overcoming deficits in both games to sweep a doubleheader against Mississippi State (33-14, 9-9 SEC) Sunday, April 20 from Love's Field.
Isabella Smith spun 4.2 innings of relief and earned the win in a 6-5 victory in game one, while Nelly McEnroe-Marinas homered twice and Isabela Emerling launched a game-winning three-run homer in a 9-6 series finale win.
Sam Landry earned the save in game one while going the distance in the second half of the twin bill, earning her 15th win of the season.
The Sooners earned their third series sweep in SEC play on the year, homering six times on the day and seven times in the series.
G1 | OU 6, Mississippi State 5
Sierra Sacco hit a leadoff home run as the Bulldogs scored four runs on five hits in the first inning. Isabella Smith entered and quieted the rally, retiring both batters she faced in the first.
The Sooners replied immediately thanks to a first pitch home run to the top row of the bleachers in right field from the bat of Kasidi Pickering. Ella Parker drew a one-out walk before the Sooners scored two two-out runs. Cydney Sanders ripped a double to the left center gap, scoring Parker. Ailana Agbayani chopped a single up the middle that brought in Sanders, cutting the deficit to 4-3 after the first inning.
Both pitchers settled in, spinning three consecutive zeros before OU evened it up with one run in the third. Parker singled, moved to second base on a Gabbie Garcia infield hit and moved up another 60 feet on a fielding error by Mississippi State right fielder Kiarra Sells. Agbayani plated Parker with a sac fly to left.
Mississippi State regained the lead in the fourth. Sacco singled with two outs and scored from first on a double down the left field line off the bat of Nadia Barbary.
OU took its first lead of the game in the fifth inning, plating two runs. Parker chopped a single into right field and moved up on a sac bunt that Garcia reached on thanks to a throwing error on her sacrifice. Sanders singled through the left side, scoring Parker, just before a wild pitch allowed Garcia to score and make it 6-5.
Sam Landry worked 1.2 scoreless as the fourth arm out of the pen, earning her fourth save of the season.
Pitchers of Record
Win: Isabella Smith (9-1)
Loss: Josey Marron (2-5)
Save: Sam Landry (4)
Statistical Snapshot
- Kasidi Pickering | 2-for-3, HR, RBI, BB
- Ella Parker | 2-for-3, 3Rs, 2BB
- Cydney Sanders | 2-for-3, 2B, R, 2RBIs
- Isabella Smith | W, 4.2IP, 3H, ER
- Sam Landry | SV, 1.2 IP, 0H, 0ER, BB
G2 | OU 9, Mississippi State 6
Mississippi State started off with four runs in the first inning for the second straight game, plating them all with two outs. Morgan Bernardini hooked a two-out two-RBI double into the left field corner before Jessie Blaine hit a two-run homer to make it 4-0 Mississippi State.
OU replied once again thanks to a towering two-run home run to right field off the bat of Garcia in the bottom of the inning, cutting the deficit in half.
Sacco got a hold of a pitch for a solo homer in the top of the second frame, bringing Mississippi State's lead back to 5-2.
The crooked numbers continued in the bottom of the second, starting with Hannah Coor as she lined a solo homer to left center. After a Pickering double down the right field line, Nelly McEnroe-Marinas went opposite field for a two-run homer to tie things up.
Both pitchers settled in over the next few sessions as things remained tied up, 5-5, into the fifth inning. The Sooners took the lead in the bottom of the fifth when Isabela Emerling hit a three-run home run to right. Garcia and Sanders walked before the big blow, making it 8-5.
Mississippi State got one back on a Ella Wesolowski home run to left, but McEnroe-Marinas got that run right back with an 82-mile per hour solo homer to left in the bottom of the sixth.
Landry worked around a baserunner in the seventh to earn the win.
Pitchers of Record
Win: Sam Landry (15-3)
Loss: Josey Marron (2-6)
Statistical Snapshot
- Isabela Emerling | 2-for-2, 3RBIs, HR
- Nelly McEnroe-Marinas | 2-for-4, 2HRs, 2Rs, 3RBIs
- Gabbie Garcia | 1-for-2, 2Rs, 2RBIs, HR, BB
- Sam Landry | CG, W. 7.0IP, 7H, 6ER, 3BB, 6Ks
Notes
- OU has 15 comeback wins this season, tied for third most in the country
- Landry has posted 12 complete games this season
- The Sooners are 33-0 when scoring at least six runs
- OU is 4-1 in one-run games this year
- Oklahoma is 13-4 when its opponent scores first
- OU's five homers in the second game tied a season high (also hit five at Wichita State March 26)
- McEnroe-Marinas has hit 10 home runs in 18 conference games
- The Sooners are 19-2 at home
- Oklahoma is 11-0 all-time against Mississippi State
- Smith posted 4.2 innings of relief in the win, the longest relief outing for an OU pitcher this year
Up Next
No. 4 Oklahoma stays home to host No. 3 Texas for a three-game series beginning Friday, April 25. First pitch for the series opener is set for 5 p.m.
