No. 4 OU (27-2, 2-0 SEC) rallied from down 5-1 to beat Auburn (19-9, 2-3 SEC) 8-5 on Saturday.
For the second game in a row, OU battled back from an early deficit to earn a win over Auburn. The victory extended OU’s win streak to 16 games, dating back to a 7-5 win against California on Feb. 21.
Here are three takeaways:
Sooners keep last 4 innings clean
Auburn found early success on offense, batting in four runs in the first two innings and a home run in the third inning. Despite the slow start, the Sooners bought enough time for their bats to get hot, shutting out Auburn in the final four innings of play.
Freshman pitcher Allyssa Parker pitched three clean innings, striking out a trio of Auburn batters and giving up zero earned runs on three hits. Parker's earned run average now sits at just 1.93 for the season.
Despite a slow start that included five earned runs, sophomore pitcher and Mississippi transfer Miali Guachino rallied back to keep the frame clean in the fourth inning. Her outing featured seven strikeouts.
2-out rallies save the day for the Sooners
OU’s offense was hot to end the afternoon, catching fire in multiple two-out situations.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, freshman outfielder Kai Minor tripled to right-center field, bringing home freshman catcher Kendall Wells and cutting the lead down to one.
On the next at-bat, redshirt senior catcher Isabela Emerling singled to left field, bringing Minor home to tie the game at 5-5.
The Sooners’ two-out success wouldn't end there, however. In the bottom of the sixth, sophomore infielder Gabbie Garcia doubled to right field, helping junior outfielder Kasidi Pickering find home plate and adding an insurance run to the board.
The final two-out run for OU came off a bases-loaded walk, scoring Emerling and pushing the lead to 8-5.
Kasidi Pickering comes alive on offense to push OU over finish line
Pickering put in several meaningful at-bats for the Sooners, blasting a two-run homer to center field in the bottom of the third inning.
Pickering wouldn’t stop there, as she found two more hits on the evening to keep innings alive. She reached home four total times throughout the afternoon, keeping the Sooners kicking despite a slow start.
Her offensive ability is no secret. After Saturday’s outing, she now boasts an impressive .519 batting average on the season. She ranks as No. 2 on the team in this category, behind senior outfielder Abby Dayton, who sits at .525.
The Sooners will be back in action against Auburn at noon on Sunday at Love’s Field on SEC Network, as they look to extend their win streak and sweep the series.
This story was edited by Joshua McDaniel.
