Sophia Nugent hit a few home runs at the old OU Softball Complex, but on Friday night, she hit a ball out of Love's Field for the first time. But it wasn't while wearing crimson and cream.
Nugent, a catcher, spent the first two seasons of her career at Oklahoma before transferring after the 2023 season. She returned to Norman on Friday, and with her No. 9 Tennessee Volunteers tied 2-2 with her old team in the top of the eighth inning, Nugent hit a two-run blast over the right-center wall to ultimately propel the Volunteers to a 5-2 win in Game 1 of the three-game series.
SOPHIA FREAKING NUGENT 💣
— Tennessee Softball (@Vol_Softball) March 29, 2025
Sophia gives us the lead with a two-run home run!
Lady Vols 4, Sooners 2
🎥 @SECNetwork pic.twitter.com/pY3NWiZamV
In the end, the Volunteers just wore down OU ace Sam Landry, who has become the Sooners' only reliable option in the circle at this point in the season. She threw a career-high 141 pitches and held Tennessee at bay until Nugent's two-run homer, then another insurance run from a wild pitch by Landry.
Before extra innings, Landry gave up just two runs in the second. The Sooners finally got a run across in the third after Hannah Coor scored thanks to a sac fly by Gabbie Garcia. OU then tied it in the fifth with Abigale Dayton's solo shot. It was the first homer at Love's Field for Dayton, who transferred from Utah over the offseason.
no better time for your first HR at Love's ❕ pic.twitter.com/hnDqfhP2nB
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) March 29, 2025
However, unable to put anything else on the board while Tennessee's two pitchers gave up just one run apiece, the Sooners suffered their second loss of the season and second within a week. OU lost to Missouri 3-1 on Saturday to snap a 31-game winning streak that went back to last year.
The Sooners are now 30-2 and 8-2 in their first SEC slate. Tennessee jumped to 28-6 and 4-3 in conference play.
For Landry, the five runs she gave up was the most since her OU debut on Feb. 6. Before Wednesday night's 19-16 win against Wichita State, Landry hadn't even allowed multiple runs in an outing since that debut after transferring Louisiana.
One pitcher will get the Sooners only so far, though, no matter how good. One arm eventually wears down during extra-inning battles and in the postseason.
The Sooners get Tennessee again on Saturday afternoon and on national television on ESPN. And after tallying 141 pitches, OU will likely have to avoid letting its first series slip away without Landry.