Oklahoma Rallies Past No. 17 Oklahoma State with Run-Rule Win in Front of Record Crowd

No. 2 Oklahoma (35-3) erupted for 11 unanswered runs over the final three innings to defeat No. 17 Oklahoma State (23-12), 11-3 in five innings, in front of an NCAA softball regular-season record crowd of 9,529 on Wednesday night at Devon Park.

Maya Bland launched a three-run homer to ignite a five-run fourth inning that proved to be the game-winner, coming just after pitcher Sam Landry escaped a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the top half of the frame. The Sooners tacked on four more in the fifth to complete the run-rule victory.

Final Score: OU 11, OSU 3 (5 innings)

Oklahoma State capitalized early, scoring twice in the first inning thanks to a pair of Oklahoma errors and a single. After stranding two runners to end the frame, Landry settled in and delivered a clean second inning, but Rosie Davis added to the Cowgirls’ lead with a solo home run to right-center in the top of the third to make it 3-0.

From that point forward, it was all Sooners.

Bland drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the third and scored when Kasidi Pickering blasted a two-run homer to right field, cutting the deficit to 3-2. In the top of the fourth, OSU loaded the bases with nobody out, but Landry delivered under pressure—recording a strikeout, then watching second baseman Ailana Agbayani make a diving snag to rob Tallen Edwards of extra bases, followed by an inning-ending groundout.

Fueled by that momentum, OU exploded in the bottom of the fourth. Walks to Abigale Dayton and Agbayani set the table for Bland, who smashed a three-run shot to right-center to give the Sooners a 5-3 lead. Nelly McEnroe-Marinas reached on an error and scored on Ella Parker’s RBI single, and Gabbie Garcia added another with a double to left.

Leading 7-3 heading into the fifth, the Sooners put the game away by sending eight batters to the plate. Agbayani was hit by a pitch, stole second, and scored on a single by Hannah Coor. Pickering followed with a double off the top of the wall in right, scoring Coor. Parker doubled in Pickering for her third hit of the game, and Garcia ended it with a walk-off RBI single to center.

No. 2 Oklahoma Softball travels to face No. 22/23 Alabama in Tuscaloosa Saturday, April 12 through Monday, April 14.