No. 1 OU (41-6, 14-3 SEC) defeated No. 6 Arkansas (36-7, 11-6 SEC) 11-1 in a game where the Sooners’ bats came to life.

Freshman catcher Kendall Wells tied the OU single-season home run record set by Jocelyn Alo in 2022. Senior catcher Isabela Emerling continued her hot streak in the Sooners’ blowout win as well.

Here are takeaways:

Wells ties OU single-season home run record

Wells continued her historic season Sunday afternoon, blasting her program record-tying 34th home run deep into left-center field. The homer ties her with Alo for the most in a single season in program history.

Wells, who broke the NCAA single-season freshman home run record on April 11 with her 31st, has added three more over the past week.

The freshman is now just three shy of tying former Arizona shortstop Laura Espinoza’s NCAA record of 37 in a season, set back in 1995. 

Wells has hit 34 home runs in just 47 games this season, averaging 0.72 home runs per game — roughly one every 1.4 games. To compare, Espinoza set her NCAA record in 72 games, 25 more than Wells has played until this point. 

With seven games remaining, Wells will look to continue to rewrite the record books as the regular season comes to a close.

Allyssa Parker continues to show growth in the circle

OU freshman two-way player Allyssa Parker has recently stepped into a larger role not only at the plate but in the circle. 

Parker credited the return of pitching coach Jennifer Rocha for her development throughout her freshman season.

“Having coach Rocha back has been amazing,” Parker said. “Today my mindset was knowing that I could throw to contact because I have the best defense behind me.”

Through 16 appearances, Parker holds a 2.77 earned run average, giving head coach Patty Gasso another reliable arm behind ace sophomore Audrey Lowry and sophomore Miali Guachino.

Parker finished her start in game three against the Razorbacks tossing a complete game in the five-inning run rule, recording seven strikeouts while allowing six hits. 

Though she finished Sunday 0-3 at the plate, her season numbers have remained promising. Entering the game, she carried a .345 batting average with 10 home runs and 25 runs batted in.

Parker’s ability to play both ways at a high level gives Gasso a high number of options when rolling out day-to-day lineups. The longtime Sooner head coach praised her ability back in March, praising her ability to play anywhere on the field.

“You can’t just keep her in one place,” Gasso said. “She’s a great option in a lot of places.”

Parker will look to build on her performance in the circle as the regular season winds down and postseason play approaches.

Barrage of home runs lead Sooners to series victory

OU hit four home runs Sunday, all from different spots in the lineup. That top-to-bottom power has the Sooners leading the nation in home runs.

The home runs Sunday came from plenty of familiar faces. Emerling continued her hot streak, opening the scoring with a blast, followed by senior outfielder Abby Dayton, who launched a two-run shot to left field. Wells added a three-run home run, and sophomore shortstop Gabbie Garcia capped the scoring with a three-run shot of her own.

For Emerling, it marked her 17th home run of the season, coming off a grand slam that helped propel the Sooners in Friday’s win. Gabbie Garcia moved into sole possession of second on the team with her 19th, trailing only Wells. Dayton added her seventh of the year and second of the week.

With the win Sunday, the Sooners officially beat the Razorbacks 2-1 in the three/game series as they continue to build momentum towards the postseason. 

Next, OU will take on Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 6 p.m Tuesday at Love’s Field on SECN+.

This story was edited by Joshua McDaniel.