OU Softball: No. 1 Oklahoma Dispatches Tulsa in Midweek Bout

The Sooners rolled Tulsa on Wednesday in the second meeting of the year between the in-state schools.

Oklahoma infielder Sydney Barker / John E. Hoover / Sooners On SI

Oklahoma handled business in its midweek contest against Tulsa, preventing a slip up after stepping out of SEC play. 

Second baseman Ailana Agbayani powered OU’s offense. She totaled five RBIs and the No. 1-ranked Sooners scored in four different innings. 

The result was a 10-2 victory after six innings, as the Sooners notched their 13th run rule win of the year at Collins Family Softball Complex in Tulsa on Wednesday night. 

Final Box Score / OU Stats

Following her stellar showing in the series finale against South Carolina, OU coach Patty Gasso started pitcher Audrey Lowry in the circle.

"I think we really wanted to reward her for what she did against South Carolina and put her back in and get her a start," Gasso said after the game. "She handled it well. Tulsa takes swings, you can’t shut them down. We always come here and we struggle. We always have. We have battles."

Both the Sooners (23-0) and the Golden Hurricane (12-12) failed to score in the first inning, but Gabbie Garcia continued her hot start to March. 

The OU shortstop became the first Oklahoma freshman since Jocelyn Alo to homer in five straight games in the Sooners’ first game against South Carolina last Sunday, but she broke her streak in the series finale. 

Garcia worked to start another powerful run, as she belted a solo shot to start the second and break the deadlock. 

Cydney Sanders then doubled, and Ailana Agbayani’s hit ricocheted off Tulsa pitcher Maura Moore’s glove to reach safely and plate Sanders. 

Oklahoma proceeded to load the bases, but Moore battled back and struck out Kasidi Pickering to end the threat. 

Tulsa catcher Amber Turner took Lowry deep to pull Tulsa within one, but the Sooners got back to work in the third. 

Nelly McEnroe-Marinas took first after wearing a pitch and Garcia’s single put runners on the corners for Sanders. 

Sanders singled through the left side to add a third run and move Garcia over to third, then Agbayani extended OU’s lead to 4-1 with a sacrifice fly. 

"She’s seeing the ball well and she’s such a spark," Gasso said of Agbayani. "So I’m really loving what she’s doing."

Lowry returned to the circle in the third and got the first out of the inning, but left fielder Whitney Holcomb doubled and Gasso brought Sam Landry in for Lowry. 

Landry, who missed the South Carolina series, gave up a single to the first batter she faced, but she was able to induce a grounder that OU’s infield turned into a double play to end the third. 

"It felt really good to be out with my team again," said Landry who returned from being placed in concussion protocol. "... It was exciting at the beginning and just a lot of nerves, a lot of anxiousness." 

Landry, who has never missed any real time for an injury, said the most difficult part of the past week was being away from the team.

"It was very hard when coach would make me go home because it was getting a little bit too loud. But it was very hard," she said.

Sydney Barker hit her fourth home run of the year, a two-run blast, after entering for Ella Parker in the fourth inning. 

Agbayani added her third RBI of the game on a single in the fourth, then Sanders was thrown out at home to send the game to the bottom half of the inning with OU up 7-1.

Turner returned to plate another run in the fourth, this one courtesy of an RBI-double to cut the deficit down to 7-2.

The OU second baseman wasn’t done tormenting the Golden Hurricane, however. 

Agbayani tripled in the sixth to plate another pair of runs, bringing her RBI total for the night up to five. 

"She is fast," said Gasso, "and we really needed that towards the end of the game to try to get off our feet, get in the bus and get on the way and that was important."

Catcher Corri Hicks added another run with a ground out to bring Agbayani home, putting the run rule into effect. 

Landry closed out the win, and she closed the game by retiring seven straight Golden Hurricane batters. 

Oklahoma will continue its travels east as the Sooners prepare to battle the No. 12-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks. 

The first contest of the series from Fayetteville is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. on Friday. 

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