NORMAN —After a disastrous start to the game, the third-ranked OU softball team turned things around thanks to a strong relief performance from Isabella Smith to beat Mississippi State 6-5 in the first game of a doubleheader Sunday at Love’s Field.
The Sooners (38-5, 12-5 SEC) clinched the series with the victory after dropping their previous two SEC series. The teams will play the series finale beginning at approximately 5:15 p.m.
OU fell behind 4-0 in the first after the Bulldogs hit freshman Audrey Lowry hard.
Lowry was making her first start since March 12.
Mississippi State’s Sierra Sacco hit Lowry’s first pitch up into a hard wind that helped carry it out of the park.
The Bulldogs had four more hits off Lowry in the next five batters to grab a 4-0 lead and end Lowry’s outing.
Smith came in and allowed just one run and three hits over 4 2/3 innings to give the Sooners’ offense a chance to get back in the game.
The Sooners struck quickly, scoring three in their half of the first, starting with Kasidi Pickering’s leadoff home run on the first pitch she saw.
OU tied it in the third on Ailana Agbayani’s sacrifice fly before Mississippi State regained the lead in the fourth.
The Sooners tied it in the fifth on Cydney Sanders’ RBI single and a wild pitch that scored Gabbie Garcia.
After Kierston Deal got one out in the sixth, OU ace Sam Landry came on and got the final five outs for the save.
Ella Parker, Pickering and Sanders had two hits each.
OU softball live score updates vs. Mississippi State
Bottom 6: Mississippi State's Raelin Chaffin hurt
Mississippi State pitcher Raelin Chaffin went to her knees as soon as she threw the ball to first base.
Chaffin stayed down in front of the circle with an apparent shoulder or arm injury as Kasidi Pickering went from first to third on Nelly McEnroe-Marinas' sacrifice bunt.
Chaffin appeared to have been injured the inning before, but remained in the game after talking with Bulldogs' coaches and trainers.
The game heads to the seventh with OU up 6-5 after Delainey Everett re-entered the game to replace Chaffin and got a double-play ground ball to end the inning.
Top 6: Kierston Deal, Sam Landry keep Sooners on top
After Isabella Smith walked Kiarra Sells to start the sixth, Sooners coach Patty Gasso brought in Kierston Deal to pitch.
Smith 4 2/3 innings in relief, stopping the bleeding after Mississippi State scored four first-inning runs off OU starter Audrey Lowry.
After a wild pitch, Deal retired Sierra Sacco for the first out before Gasso inserted Sam Landry.
Landry, the Sooners' ace, got Nadia Barbary to pop up on the infield before Kylee Edwards drew a walk. Landry then got Morgan Stiles to ground softly back to the circle to escape the jam.
Bottom 5: OU grabs first lead
For the first time in the game, the Sooners have the lead.
Gabbie Garcia hesitated a little bit, the streaked toward the plate.
Mississippi State didn't have a play.
Garcia scored on a wild pitch with no outs in the fifth to put the Sooners up 6-5.
Ella Parker led off the inning with a looping single over first baseman Riley Hull's head before Garcia laid down a sacrifice bunt and reached on a throwing error.
Cydney Sanders then delivered a hard single through the hole on the left side of the infield to drive in Parker and tie it.
The Sooners looked like they had added another on Abigale Dayton's squeeze bunt that apparently scored Chaney Helton from third.
But Mississippi Stat challenged the call, and review showed that Dayton had been hit inside the batter's box for a foul ball.
Two pitches later, Dayton tried to lay down a bunt again.
This time, the ball hit her after she'd left the batter's box and Dayton was quickly called out.
Raelin Chaffin then struck out pinch-hitter Tia Milloy and then got Hannah Coor to ground out to end the inning without further damage.
Top 5: Isabella Smith escapes jam
Mississippi State had runners on second and third with two outs but Isabella Smith struck out pinch-hitter Lexi Sosa to end the inning.
Bottom 4: Sooners can't answer
After Mississippi State took a 5-4 lead in the top of the inning. OU couldn't answer.
After giving up a two-out walk, Josey Marron got Nelly McEnroe-Marinas to fly out to center to end the inning.
Top 4: Mississippi State regains the lead
After OU tied it in the bottom of the third, it didn't take long for Mississippi State to regain the lead.
Nadia Barbary delivered a two-out RBI double to score Sierra Sacco from first and put her team up 5-4. Sacco got the Bulldogs' inning going with a single after the first two Mississippi State hitters were retired.
Bottom 3: Ailana Agbayani ties it
After an error by Mississippi State right fielder Morgan Stiles loaded the bases, OU took advantage.
Ailana Agbayani delivered a sacrifice fly down the left-field line, allowing Ella Parker to score to tie the game.
After Nelly McEnroe-Marinas led off the inning with a hard liner out to shortstop, Parker and Gabbie Garcia delivered back-to-back singles. Cydney Sanders then hit a high pop to right field, which bounced in and out of Stiles' glove.
Top 3: Isabella Smith keeps Bulldogs off board
Isabella Smith continued her strong relief outing, keeping Mississippi State off the board for the second consecutive inning despite walking two in the inning.
Bottom 2: Sooners can't score
Abigale Dayton drew a leadoff walk in the second, but the next three hitters were retired to send the game into the third with OU trailing 4-3.
Top 2: Isabella Smith works quick inning
Nadia Barbary looked like she'd gotten enough to extend Mississippi State's lead.
But the wind that contributed to both teams hitting the first pitches they saw came back to bite the Bulldogs.
OU left fielder Abigale Dayton initially went to the wall to field Barbary's high pop fly but then had to race in, snagging the ball well in front of the wall to end the inning.
Isabella Smith got out of the inning with just six pitches.
Bottom 1: Sooners pull within one
It didn't take long for Kasidi Pickering to make up for her first-inning error.
Pickering blasted the first pitch she saw 258 feet out to right field to make the deficit 4-1.
A strong wind out to right affected the Sooners plenty during the top of the first, and OU took advantage of it in the bottom half of the inning.
Cydney Sanders and Ailana Agbayani later delivered RBI hits to make it 4-3 Mississippi State after one.
Top 1: Sooners in a hole early
It didn't take long for Mississippi State to get on the board.
Bulldogs' star Sierra Sacco blasted Audrey Lowry's first pitch over the right-field wall.
As Sacco rounded the bases, OU catcher Isabela Emerling came out to try to calm Lowry down.
But the inning continued to be rough for the freshman.
Mississippi State's Nadia Barbary followed with a single to right and advanced to second on Kasidi Pickering's error.
Barbary then came around to score on Kylee Edwards' single, which bounced off Lowry's glove and past Sooners' second baseman Ailana Agbayani —who was headed up the middle to try to field the ball before Lowry's deflection.
Morgan Bernardini later delivered an RBI double to make it 3-0 and Jessie Blaine delivered a single to center to score Barnardini.
After that, Sooners coach Patty Gasso brought in Isabella Smith to pitch, ending Lowry's day just one out into the game.
Pregame: Audrey Lowry returns to starting role
Sooners coach Patty Gasso said going into the series that freshman pitcher Audrey Lowry was ready to return to her role as one of her team's top pitchers.
Lowry will make her first start since March 12 when she starts against Mississippi State in the first game of Sunday's doubleheader.
After that start against Tulsa, Lowry was out due to injury and didn't pitch again until April 4. After relief appearances against UCF and Alabama the last two weekends, Lowry is back as a starter.
Lowry is 5-0 with a 1.98 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 35 1/3 innings this season.
What time is OU softball vs Mississippi State today?
- Date:Sunday, April 20
- Time:2 p.m. CT
The Oklahoma vs Mississippi State doubleheader starts at 2 p.m. CT Sunday from Love's Field in Norman. The second game will begin 40 minutes after the conclusion of the first one.
What channel is Oklahoma vs Mississippi State on today?
- TV:SEC Network
- Livestream:SEC Network+ (here's how to stream it live)
The first game of the doubleheader will be streamed on SEC Network+. The second game will be broadcast on SEC Network and streamed on ESPN+.
OU softball highlights vs. Mississippi State
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