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OU Softball: No. 1 Oklahoma Blanks Missouri to Take Series Opener

The Sooners leaned on another strong showing from pitcher Sam Landry to run rule the Missouri Tigers on Friday evening.

Ryan Chapman

Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso and pitcher Sam Landry
Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso and pitcher Sam Landry / John Hoover / Sooners on SI

Another stellar outing from Sam Landry in the circle powered Oklahoma to another SEC victory. 

Patty Gasso’s No. 1-ranked Sooners jumped out in front in the first inning, and Landry ensured the Missouri Tigers would find no avenue back into the game on Friday. 

The OU ace shut out the hosts at Mizzou Softball Stadium, striking out four Tigers across five innings. 

A trio of homers from Gabbie Garcia, Nelly McEnroe-Marinas and Ella Parker proved to be enough, as Oklahoma coasted to an 8-0 run-rule win to open the series in style. 

The Sooners moved to 28-0 on the year and 7-0 in conference play, while Missouri fell to 17-14 and 0-4 in SEC contests. 

"I felt like everything felt pretty good," Landry told the SEC Network+ broadcast after the win. "I had a pretty good feel of it. … I was just trying to keep them off balance. … Knowing my defense was there, they just kept coming up to me and saying, ‘Give me a ground ball.’ "

Final Box Score
Final Box Score / OU Stats

Oklahoma’s star freshman couldn’t wait to get the Sooners started. 

Garcia hit the ball up in the wind blowing out to right field, and the ball carried over the wall. 

The homer was a three-run shot, which cashed in on Abby Dayton’s walk and McEnroe-Marinas’ single, and it was long ball No. 10 for Garcia. 

OU’s first inning fireworks didn’t turn into an offensive explosion, meaning the Sooners leaned on Landry’s efforts in the circle to stay in control. 

She retired the first eight Missouri batters before Claire Cahalan reached base with two outs in the third after an error was charged to Oklahoma first baseman Cydney Sanders. 

Cahalan got all the way to third off leadoff hitter Julia Crenshaw’s two-out single, but Landry got a grounder back to Garcia to end the inning and keep Missouri off the board. 

The Tigers got another pair aboard via a walk and a hit batter in the fourth, but Landry again was able to get out of the jam with a shallow fly ball and groundout. 

Landry finally got more assistance in the fifth. 

McEnroe-Marinas struck with a homer of her own, this a two-run shot that left no doubt, to put OU up 5-0. 

Then the Sooners seized on the momentum.

Kasidi Pickering and Garcia strung together back-to-back singles to chase Missouri starter Marissa McCann out of the game.

Reliever Jayci Kruse didn’t fare any better, however. 

Parker, who entered the weekend hitting .077 in SEC play, hit the ball to the warning track in center field. 

Kayley Lenger tried to make the play at the wall for the Tigers, but the ball bounced off her glove and rolled over the wall to give Parker the three-run blast and extend the Sooners’ lead to 8-0.

Landry cooly retired the side in the bottom of the fifth to close out the win.

She allowed just one hit, one walk and a hit batter to go along with her four strikeouts. 

Oklahoma and Missouri will return for the second game of the series on Saturday at 2 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on SEC Network +.

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Ryan Chapman
RYAN CHAPMAN

Ryan is managing editor at Sooners On SI and covers a number of sports in and around Norman and Oklahoma City. Working both as a journalist and a sports talk radio host, Ryan has covered the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the United States Men’s National Soccer Team, the Oklahoma City Energy and more. Since 2019, Ryan has simultaneously pursued a career as both a writer and a sports talk radio host, working for the Flagship for Oklahoma sports, 107.7 The Franchise, as well as AllSooners.com. Ryan serves as a contributor to The Franchise’s website, TheFranchiseOK.com, which was recognized as having the “Best Website” in 2022 by the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters. Ryan holds an associate’s degree in Journalism from Oklahoma City Community College in Oklahoma City, OK. 

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