OU softball battles back, emphatically takes Bedlam on record-setting night

OKLAHOMA CITY – Take the worst-case scenario for OU softball, and that’s exactly how the game began.

It’s everything head coach Patty Gasso talked about in the preview to Bedlam. Simply put, it’s a different stage. Soak it in, sure, but adjust and figure it out.

It took OU a little while, but once it did? The Sooners started to roll. OU overcame an early deficit to emphatically take down Oklahoma State 11-3 in a five-inning run-rule on Wednesday night at Devon Park.

“I’m really excited to bring the team to this venue, about three-fourths of them have not been in this situation,” Gasso said. “I think I heard we broke a record, which is awesome. They’ve not been introduced to that until tonight, so I think you could see it in the nerves a little bit in the first couple of innings. And then once we started scoring, we didn’t stop. 

“Down the line, everybody kind of contributed in some way or another, but the dugout was on fire, fire, fire, fire. There was so much momentum. They were having a great time. I felt a big momentum opportunity that we grabbed, and I’m really excited to see where we go with this. This was a big-time win for us.”

A record crowd of 9,259 to set the NCAA single-game record, breaking the mark from OU-Texas from two years ago.

And who turned it all around? How about Maya Bland as your unlikely hero. Trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the fourth, it was Bland who turned the game around with one swing.

A three-run bomb that was crushed to left-center off OSU star pitcher Ruby Meylan. Bland was making just her sixth start of the season.

She has always been known for her blazing speed. But whenever Gasso would talk about Bland, Gasso would mention Bland has some pop.

Bland hasn’t had many chances to show it, entering with just 29 at bats. And the home run serves as just the second of the season and her career.

Could not have come at a better time, obviously.

“Being able to have an opportunity was amazing,” Bland said. “Our team was talking about passing the bat, being there for each other, not making the moment too big. I know JT talks to us a lot about trusting your swing, trusting the pitch you wanna get. So getting that felt awesome. Ran back to my teammates celebrating was the best thing ever.”

There were nerves, for sure, to begin. It’s what Gasso wanted her players to feel. A lot of new faces that haven’t played at Devon Park in this type of atmosphere.

OU committed two errors in the top of the first to give OSU its first two runs. A Rosie Davis solo shot in the third made it 3-0 before the Sooners got going.

Kasidi Pickering continued her incredible run, blasting a two-run home run in the bottom of the third. And after OU pitcher Sam Landry got out of a bases loaded, zero out jam in the top of the fourth, the Sooners took care of business in the bottom.

That defensive stop was highlighted by a diving grab by Ailana Agbayani for the first out. There is zero doubt at least two runs would have scored, if not more.

“It was huge. But we get used to it because she’s doing that at practice,” Gasso said. “She is a really outstanding infielder and she loves that stuff and she wants to be fed that at practice all the time. So for everyone else, it’s amazing. And for us, it’s like, ‘yeah, that’s…’ So she loves that stuff. That was a big play.”

OU put up a five-spot, driving Meylan out of the game. From there? The Sooners were looking for the run-rule.

OU plated four in the fifth and that was that. Freshman Gabbie Garcia sending everybody home with an RBI single.

Pickering and Bland each drove in three runs, while Ella Parker and Garcia both had two RBIs.

Landry settled down. She threw all five innings, giving up five hits with two walks and four strikeouts to move to 12-2.

“It was definitely amazing. There were a lot of people here,” Landry said. “It was really loud. I think the loudness is something we kind of deal with at Love’s as well, but I think today I kind of let it get to me a little bit too much at the beginning of the game and I was trying to fight the nerves and anxiety I had versus playing with it.

“But I think after the first few innings I kind of found how to play with it, play through it and take in the moment. I mean you want to be on this stage, so I think once I figured out how to take it in and lock in I kind of was able to go. But having the team there, they were just like keep us there, keep us there. So having them right in my ears saying that and then coming out and scoring 12 runs, like you want to be here.” 

Up next

No. 2 OU (35-3, 9-3 SEC) takes to the road and begins a three-game set at Alabama from Saturday-Monday. Game one is 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon.