OKLAHOMA CITY – Someone had to eventually break through.
Oklahoma (51-8) and Texas (53-11) were tied at 2 through two innings on Saturday, then both sides kept leaving runners on base as the game progressed.
The Sooners and Longhorns combined to leave 14 runners on base, with OU leaving nine runners on throughout the day. Even with the shutdown pitching by Sam Landry and Teagan Kavan, you could sense something was bound to happen with the bat.
With one out in the fifth inning, Landry left a changeup over the middle of the plate to Kayden Henry, and the Longhorns centerfielder lashed one down the right field line to give Texas a lead it would never relinquish.
Later in the sixth inning, Joley Mitchell added an insurance run with a solo homer of her own off a 2-1 pitch from Landry into the left field bleachers.
“Going into the (at bats) is get the defense a ground ball,” Landry said after the game about the home runs given up. “And I think both pitches were left too much over the heart of the plate or right in their barrel.”
OU had a chance to get Landry back in the circle in the seventh, as the Sooners put runners on first and second with one out in the seventh. The rally fell short, though, as Gabbie Garcia and Hannah Coor each struck out to end the game.
It sets up a situation where Landry, who has thrown 139 and 106 pitches in the span of three days, will have no rest if OU chooses to go back to her.
Landry has thrown a total of 180.2 innings this season. The next closest is junior left-hander Kierston Deal with 75 innings. Landry’s 180.2 innings are the most by an OU pitcher since Giselle Juarez threw 186.1 innings in 2019.
Despite the 4-2 loss to Texas on Saturday, Landry tossed her 18th complete game of the season and gave up four runs, eight hits, two walks and only struck out two batters. So far in the World Series, Landry has pitched every inning for the Sooners.
Landry has also induced five double plays at the World Series, marking the total double plays turned to 29 for the Sooners this year.
double play with some HEAT 🔥 pic.twitter.com/44BNObUyFJ
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) May 31, 2025
timely punchie 21 👊@sam_landry21 | 📺ABC pic.twitter.com/8E7FOveXob
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) May 31, 2025
Saturday’s result marked the first time Texas has defeated the Sooners at the WCWS, and the first time Texas beat OU in Oklahoma City since 2005.
“Their team is too good for us to walk in and think, ‘well, we’re just going to shut them down,’” head coach Patty Gasso said postgame. “They’ve proven it. They are that good. They’re definitely a team that can win this whole thing.”
Like Oklahoma and most teams still alive at this point of the season, Texas has won games in Oklahoma City headlined by an elite pitching staff. The Sooners will face Oregon (54-9) in an elimination game Sunday, with the Ducks likely sending pitcher Lyndsey Grein to the circle to send the Sooners packing. Grein went 9.1 innings in Friday’s matchup with Mississippi, and has pitched 14.1 innings so far in Oklahoma City.
The Sooners will face the Ducks in an elimination game at 6 p.m. Sunday on ESPN2.
This story was edited by Parker Coyne.
