OU freshman Audrey Lowry shuts down South Carolina, Sooners softball gets SEC sweep

After absolute slugfests between OU and South Carolina softball in the first two games, it was finally time for a pitcher’s duel.

But it wasn’t from who you might have thought for the Sooners. Freshman Audrey Lowry was incredibly efficient in finally shutting down the SC offense.

Lowry went the distance in leading OU to a 2-1 victory to close out the series at Love’s Field on Sunday evening. It’s a three-game sweep to welcome the Sooners to the SEC. OU goes to 22-0 and 3-0. South Carolina, the hard-luck loser, falls to 20-3.

She allowed just three hits. After a runner reached on error to start the seventh, Lowry induced a 6-4-3 double play and finished in style.

“I think I was just really motivated, just to kind of hold them back a little, because they were just taking lots and lots of swings,” Lowry said. “So, I mean, I was just there for the other pitchers, picking them up during the first two games, and being in the bullpen and just really preparing.”

The initial two games were played to the identical 10-9 score for the Sooners. And both teams spent so much energy that the pitching was able to make its mark in the second game of the doubleheader.

OU scored two runs in the first without an RBI. Smart base running by both Kasidi Pickering and Nelly McEnroe-Marinas were the reasons the Sooners scored two in the bottom of the first.

From there? Just let Lowry work. With Sam Landry out (injury) and the rest of the staff gassed from the first two games, Patty Gasso needed something special from Lowry.

Absolutely got it.

“I think we’ve learned a lot from this weekend. It’s very tough going back to a doubleheader too,” Gasso said. “As much as we have the day off, we still — I think legs looked heavy for both sides in that second game. But they pitch well, they play good defense. They’re a good team. They are a top 10 team. And we had to do this without Sam Landry, and that’s the beauty of all of this.

“And our hitters clutched up real timely, some good base running. We made a few mistakes here and there, and that’s going to happen when you’re really trying to make big plays. But really, really proud of this group, because we didn’t know what it was going to feel like as a team, and it was pressed on us here at home, and we stepped up to the challenge.”

Gasso said Lowry will be ready, full-go for next weekend.

OU 10, South Carolina 9

For the second straight game, absolutely tested. For the second game, though, on the right side of things.

And also for the second straight game, a one-run victory for OU. Freshman Gabbie Garcia with the walk-off double in the bottom of the seventh to give the Sooners the series victory.

Stars Ella Parker and Kasidi Pickering earned walks to begin the seventh. That type of patience has been huge for the Sooners and was again in the seventh. Garcia came up with one out and smoked one to left-center to let the Love’s Field crowd rejoice.

The 10-9 win Friday proved to be a sign of things to come Sunday. OU came out firing, putting up a five-spot in the bottom of the first.

Redshirt freshman Nelly McEnroe-Marinas had a three-run home run. OU went back-to-back-to-back with Garcia and Cydney Sanders to follow.

But South Carolina kept coming. The Gamecocks eventually took an 8-6 lead before the captain came up and did it again.

McEnroe-Marinas crushed another three-run shot in the bottom of the fifth to give the Sooners a 9-8 advantage.

It was just a grind for any pitcher in the circle. Patty Gasso used three of her arms, with Kierston Deal getting the win.

Up next

The second-ranked Sooners head to Tulsa for a midweek game Wednesday evening. From there? Time to leave the state for the first time in three weeks. OU has a three-game set at Arkansas over the weekend.