OU Softball: Oklahoma Wastes Late Chances, Falls to Alabama in Extra Innings

Oklahoma squandered a pair of chances late in Tuscaloosa. 

The Sooners loaded the bases with the game tied in the seventh, but neither Kasidi Pickering nor Gabbie Garcia could deliver a decisive hack at the plate. 

Singles by Ella Parker and Ailana Agbayani didn’t amount to anything in the eighth, either. 

The Crimson Tide didn’t allow OU a third bite at the apple. 

Freshman Audrey Vandagriff hit a solo shot to end the game on the first pitch in the bottom of the eighth. 

No. 23 Alabama won the game 2-1 at Rhoads Stadium and took the series, which handed OU back-to-back series defeats in conference play for the first time since 2004.

Patty Gasso’s offense struggled all weekend, and Monday was no different. 

OU went 2-for-15 at the plate with runners on and 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position as the No. 2-ranked Sooners couldn’t figure out Crimson Tide right-hander Catelyn Riley. 

She threw a career-high 136 pitches, allowing just six hits, including a towering fourth inning home run by Nelly McEnroe-Marinas, while striking out five Sooners and allowing just two walks and hitting one batter. 

Sam Landry battled admirably in the circle, too, fanning five and allowing seven hits in a full night’s work, but the offense did nothing to reward her for the strong outing. 

Oklahoma will return home to regroup and take on No. 16 Mississippi State next weekend. 

As they’ve done all series, the Crimson Tide struck first. 

Vandagriff singled off Landry in her second at-bat of the night, then Kali Heivilin continued her excellent weekend with a one-out double into the alley in left-center to put the hosts up 1-0.

Vandagriff — the younger sister of former OU quarterback commit Brock Vandagriff, who decommitted after Caleb Williams pledged to Lincoln Riley’s in 2020 Sooners and went to Georgia before finishing his career at Kentucky — finished 3-for-4 at the plate.

McEnroe-Marinas, the OU captain, led by example in the fourth. 

The redshirt freshman third baseman launched a moonshot over the scoreboard to knot the game up with two outs. 

Landry then got out of the fourth after allowing a runner to reach second via a single and wild pitch with no outs, giving the offense a chance to steal momentum. 

Corri Hicks’ one-out walk couldn’t get the Sooners going, but OU’s defense showed out in the bottom of the fifth. 

Kristen White led things off with a bouncing infield single, but Gasso brought Isabela Emerling in defensively behind the plate and the veteran catcher helped throw White out on the basepaths. 

Then Landry coolly fielded Vandagriff’s hit back up the middle for the second out and McEnroe-Marinas’ throw across the diamond ended the fifth and momentarily quieted the crowd at Rhoads Stadium. 

Ailana Agbayani led the seventh off with a single, and Emerling’s hit put runners on the corners with one out. 

Pinch hitter Maya Bland then wore a pitch, but neither Pickering nor Garcia could hit the ball out of the infield and the Sooners stranded three. 

Landry was there for her offense, however, as she sat the side down in order to send the game to extra innings. 

Parker reached with a leadoff single and Agbayani extended the threat with a two-out single, but Abigale Dayton grounded out to bring Alabama’s offense to the plate.

Vandagriff ended the series in the eighth, however, to drop OU to 36-5 overall and 10-5 in SEC contests while Alabama improved to 30-16 on the year and 7-8 in league play.