OU Softball: Oklahoma Avoids Massive Collapse to Sweep Texas

The Sooners built an eight-run lead through three innings, but Texas rallied to plate six runs in the fourth after Patty Gasso tried to use her entire pitching staff.

NORMAN — A straightforward sweep almost went sideways for Oklahoma on Sunday.

The end result was a nail-biter, a tense, 9-8 victory that resulted in a Red River sweep and pushed the Sooners further atop the SEC standings with one weekend left in the regular season.

Isabella Smith pitched three fantastic innings on Senior Day, retiring the first nine batters of the game, but Gasso then turned to freshman Audrey Lowry after the Longhorns led off the fourth with a single.

Neither Lowry or Paytn Monticelli could handle the Texas bats, and Sam Landry was called upon to quell the rally after the No. 2-ranked Longhorns plated six.

Even that advantage completely evaporated thanks to Katie Stewart’s two-run homer off Landry in the fifth that tied the contest at 8-8.

But Isabela Emerling’s sacrifice fly in the sixth saved the day for Oklahoma.

From there, Landry closed out the game and the Sooners held on to sweep their rivals in front of a record 4,609 fans at Love’s Field.

Oklahoma improved to 42-5 overall with the win and 16-5 in SEC action, which tops the conference standings, while Texas fell to 42-9 on the year and 13-8 in league play.

Landry helped OU avoid a disastrous loss, and the Sooners maintained their lead atop the SEC after Texas A&M lost two of three to Arkansas this weekend.

Oklahoma built its initial lead thanks to another fast start.

Kasidi Pickering battled Longhorn ace Teagan Kavan for eight pitches before drawing a walk to start the bottom of the first.

Two batters later, Ella Parker fouled off five pitches in a row before straightening the ball out.

When she finally timed her swing up, she crushed her second home run of the weekend, this one a 251-foot bomb to right field.