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OU softball freshmen Gabbie Garcia, Nelly McEnroe-Marinas pave way to another SEC sweep

Bob Przybyloby:Bob Przybylo•about 8 hours•

BPrzybylo

Gabbie Garcia2
OU freshman Gabbie Garcia. (Bryan Terry - Imagn Images)

You can try to play any type of game with OU softball. What everybody is quickly finding out? The Sooners are ready.

Slugfest, pitcher’s duel, bring it. The confidence is at an all-time high, especially with a couple of the freshmen.

Gabbie Garcia and Nelly McEnroe-Marinas continue to demolish opposing pitching. The duo combined for eight RBIs in helping visiting OU to a 10-7 victory to complete the three-game sweep at Arkansas on Sunday afternoon.

OU trailed 3-0 before putting up a six-spot in the second inning. McEnroe-Marinas keyed that frame with a three-run home run.

Garcia hit her first home of the day to begin the second inning. Then she hit a two-run bomb in the fourth as both teams were going deep Sunday.

Arkansas never backed down, but OU (26-0, 6-0 SEC) has something special right now with Sam Landry. After throwing 133 pitches Saturday, head coach Patty Gasso had to call Landry’s name again Sunday.

Nobody has been able to get outs consistently, except for Landry. She struck out five batters in a row after an initial walk. Landry pitched the final 2.1 innings to earn her second save of the series.

OU 6, Arkansas 4 (Saturday)

OU trailed 4-3 going into the top of the sixth of Game 2 when sophomore Kasidi Pickering tied it with one massive swing of the bat.

Bases loaded, two out, 3-2 count, and freshman Sydney Barker earned the go-ahead walk before OU tacked on another in the seventh inning. It was big day overall for redshirt captain Nelly McEnroe-Marinas.

The Sooners were down 2-1 when catcher Isabela Emerling hit another one of her mammoth bombs, a two-run shot for the 3-2 lead.

Arkansas kept battling against Kierston Deal, Isabella Smith before Sam Landry was able to quiet the bats. Landry needed 34 pitches for the final two innings to earn the save.

Another sign of Gasso making all the right moves happened in the seventh. Using Maya Bland as a pinch-runner worked beautifully. Bland putting the pressure on the bases led to a very important insurance run.

OU 7, Arkansas 0 (Saturday)

Landry came in for the save in Game 2 after absolutely dominating the Razorbacks in the first game.

There is no question about her availability after Landry missed last weekend’s sweep of South Carolina.

Landry needed 99 pitches. She allowed three hits and struck out four. She was given a 1-0 lead with a Nelly McEnroe-Marinas solo shot in the first. And then that was it until the seventh.

Landry just never lost focus. And OU finally came alive with a six-spot in the seventh. Cydney Sanders had a two-run double and Gabbie Garcia added a two-run single in the frame.

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