Oklahoma hits Cowgirls with late-innings knockout punch in Bedlam softball game

Oklahoma State delivered the first punch in a record-setting midweek rivalry softball game with No. 2 Oklahoma, but that was akin to poking a sleeping bear as the Sooners stormed back with 11 unanswered runs in the final three innings for an 11-3 Bedlam victory Wednesday night over the 18th-ranked Cowgirls.

Sooners beat Oklahoma State in front of record crowd

A couple of uncharacteristic Oklahoma errors in the first inning led to a pair of unearned Oklahoma State runs to put the Sooners in an early 2-0 hole. OU was held scoreless in the first two innings by OSU starter Ruby Meylan, and the Cowgirls extended the advantage to 3-0 on a home run by Rosie Davis in the top of the third.

That's when things changed dramatically in the game, with the Sooner offense waking up the second time through the order. Kasidi Pickering blasted her team-high 12th home run of the season in the bottom of the third, driving in two, to draw within a run at 3-2. Then the Sooners erupted for five more in the fourth inning, the big hit being a three-run long ball from sophomore Maya Bland to give OU a 5-3 lead.

Four more Oklahoma runs on four hits the next inning turned this game around from an early three-run Oklahoma State lead to a five-inning, run-rule rout by the Sooners.

Louisiana transfer Sam Landry got the start in the circle for Oklahoma and worked all five innings, allowing one earned run on five hits, striking out four and issuing a pair of free passes in earning her 12th win of the season to go with two losses.

The midweek Bedlam rivalry game was played before a record-setting crowd at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, site of the Women's College World Series. The emotional battle served as a table-setter for the Sooners' important three-game series at Alabama this weekend.

Notable notes from 179th Bedlam softball game

• A crowd of 9,259 was in attendance for the game at Devon Park in Oklahoma City. That is the largest crowd ever to attend a regular-season college softball game. The previous record was 8,930 in 2023 in a game at the same venue between Oklahoma and Texas.

• OU's Ella Parker, who has been in a hitting slump while battling through a toe injury, was 3-for-3 at the plate with a couple of runs batted in Wednesday night vs. Oklahoma State. The Sooners' designated hitter led the nation while hitting .617 in the month of February with 21 RBI and 24 runs scored. Since then, however, she was hitting just .146 with 11 RBI and nine runs scored.

• Mya Bland walked on a 3-2 pitch in the third inning, setting up Kasidi Pickering's two-run homer that got the Sooners on the scoreboard. The very next inning, Bland's three-run round-tripper gave Oklahoma the lead.

• Pickering and Bland both had three RBI in the game. With two hits, Pickering's consecutive games hit streak grew to 14 games. Her double in the fifth inning was her 100th career hit.

• The victory represented Oklahoma's 12 comeback win of the season and 18th by run-rule.

• Although Oklahoma has won more games playing at the site of the Women's College World Series than any other team in college softball, including eight national championships, Patty Gasso was a little concerned how the huge crowd, big stage and electric environment would affect this Sooner team. Gasso said in the postgame press conference that nearly two-thirds of the OU roster had never experienced playing at Devon Park before. And when you add to it a Bedlam softball rivalry game, you know nerves were going to be running high.

• With the win, the Sooners improved to 35-3 overall. Oklahoma State dropped to 23-12.