Eighty teams had failed before them, but the Oklahoma Sooners accomplished what was previously impossible on their first try.
The Sooners pulled off the biggest comeback in SEC Softball Tournament history with an 8-6 win against Arkansas on Friday in Athens, Georgia. Overcoming a 6-1 deficit, OU became the first team in the tournament's 28-year history to rally for a win after being down five or more runs.
Teams were previously 0-80 when down five or more runs in the SEC Softball Tournament. The top-seeded Sooners, though, are 1-0 in the situation and headed to Saturday's SEC championship game against No. 2 Texas A&M at noon CT on SEC Network. The original start time was changed because of weather.
Oklahoma advances to SEC championship game after beating Arkansas
Patty Gasso's Sooners are inevitable, even after rebuilding an entire roster and when down five runs in the third inning.
Arkansas had scored two in the opening frame then another in the second before OU even got a run across in the bottom of the second. Sydney Barker hit a solo shot over left field to put the Sooners on the board.
The Razorbacks put together their biggest lead with a three-run third inning, leaving OU with that 6-1 deficit headed to the bottom of the third. Just trying to avoid the run-rule at that point, Ella Parker hit OU's second homer. It was a sign of things to come, just not that the Sooners weren't dead, but that they would eventually score every run in the game via the long ball with six home runs, another tournament record.
Parker's home run sparked a seven-run spurt for the Sooners while the Razorbacks failed to score again after Paytn Monticelli entered the circle as OU's third pitcher of the day. It was ultimately Audrey Lowry who was the pitcher on record after finishing the game with three perfect innings.
As the Razorbacks were stifled, the Sooners didn't necessarily chip away, but hammered. In the fourth inning, Barker hit her second homer of the day and Isabela Emerling hit the second solo bomb of the inning.
It was then Ailana Agbayani with OU's fifth solo home run of the game to put the Sooners within a run after the sixth inning.
The seventh inning started with a single to right field from Kasidi Pickering, and that seemed to be when what's reality for OU set in, but a dream for other teams.
After a fielder's choice gave Arkansas an out, Nelly McEnroe-Marinas hit a double to right-center to put runners at second and third, but it ultimately didn't matter if runners were in scoring position when the freshman stepped in the box with one out.
Garcia, just named to the All-SEC Second Team, swung at the first pitch to send the ball over the wall and the Sooners to the SEC championship.
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