When Oklahoma's starting lineup was announced, a lot of people were stunned to see that Miali Guachino was the Sooners' starting pitcher for the must-win game.
OU faced the Mississippi State Bulldogs in Game 3 of their Super Regional matchup, the winner of the best-of-three series advancing to the Women's College World Series and the loser having their season come to an end.
Despite Oklahoma pitcher Audrey Lowry being the expected starter, head coach Patty Gasso decided to opt out of using her usual go-to woman in the circle, slating Guachino into the starting lineup.
Three innings into the game, it was clear that Gasso's gamble wasn't paying off as she had hoped, with Mississippi State racking up four runs on five hits.
Sooners' pitching struggles spell ruin for WCWS hopes
All season long, as Oklahoma's batting excelled to its usual level of prowess, the Sooners' bullpen struggled to find consistency. In Game 3 against Mississippi State, OU struggled on both sides of the ball.
Guachino gave up the four hits before Gasso finally decided to pull her out of the game and rotate Lowry into the circle.
Then, Lowry gave up another run, and suddenly, the Bulldogs were up 5-0 as the Sooners also struggled to find any consistent contact with their bats.
Gasso moved to Plan C, rotating in freshman pitcher Berkley Zache, who almost immediately gave up yet another run. In the blink of an eye, Oklahoma had given up eight hits on six runs in just six innings, and the Sooners were shockingly trailing 6-0.
In the top of the seventh, the Bulldogs earned a ninth hit but weren't able to bring in any additional runs. At the bottom of the seventh, Oklahoma had three more outs to try to save its postseason dreams of returning to the World Series.
Oklahoma softball falls short in 7th inning
OU catcher Isabela Emerling singled up the middle and was quickly replaced on first base by pinch runner Chaney Helton. Then, senior outfielder Abby Dayton hit a flyout to center field, and utility player Allyssa Parker was hit by a pitch.
With one out and baserunners on first and second, it looked like Oklahoma could possibly be mounting a comeback.
Infielder Ailana Agbayani, who was held hitless in the Super Regional, hit a fly ball out to left field. Two baserunners and two outs, but hope still wasn't entirely gone quite yet.
It came down to a roller by Kai Minor that led to her being thrown out at first base. Just like that, Oklahoma's season was over.
As OU's bullpen failed to contain the Bulldog batters, Mississippi State starting pitcher Delainey Everett worked her way through the entire game, giving up just three hits and holding the Sooners scoreless.
With the win, Mississippi State advanced to its first-ever Women's College World Series, becoming the first team in NCAA history to defeat Oklahoma to accomplish that feat. Meanwhile, Oklahoma's season ended with a 1-2 series loss on their home turf at Love's Field.
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