Oklahoma Sooners-Mississippi State Bulldogs softball

Senior pitcher Sam Landry during the game against Mississippi State on April 20.

WATCH: OU softball defeated Mississippi State 6-5 on Sunday afternoon. Read more at oudaily.com

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No. 2 Oklahoma beat No. 16 Mississippi State 9-6 on Sunday, completing a doubleheader and series sweep. The Sooners fought back from an early deficit to improve to 39-5 overall and 13-5 in SEC play.

It was a dramatic victory for the Sooners, who found themselves in a familiar position—trailing early for the second time that day.

Mississippi State wasted no time in the second game of the doubleheader, taking a 4-0 lead in the first inning. Senior right-handed pitcher Sam Landry, who had come in as relief in the first game earlier in the day, was tasked with holding the Bulldogs at bay in this one.

However, she struggled early, allowing a single and a walk with two outs in the top of the first. Both runners came around to score on a two-run double by Bulldogs outfielder Morgan Bernardini, followed by a two-run home run from outfielder Jessie Blaine that extended the lead to 4-0.

It was an early challenge, but Gasso's squad responded quickly. In the bottom of the first, freshman shortstop Gabbie Garcia's two-run homer cut the deficit to 4-2, keeping Oklahoma within striking distance. Mississippi State would strike again in the second, with a solo shot from Bulldogs outfielder Sierra Sacco, pushing the lead to 5-2.

“It wasn’t really comfortable looking up and seeing a four right away, but I’d rather it happen early and allow us to respond,” Gasso said. “And we did that in both games. I was really proud of that.”

In the bottom of the second, junior outfielder Hannah Coor got things started with a solo shot to left field, her second homer in the last three games and her second of the season, narrowing the Bulldogs' lead to 5-3. With two outs, redshirt freshman third-baseman Nelly McEnroe-Marinas added to the momentum, belting a two-run homer that tied the game at 5-5, making it the third home run of the game.

Coor’s stellar play continued in the third inning when she made a highlight-reel catch to end the inning, robbing Bulldogs catcher Ella Wesolowski of a hit that likely would have plated two runs. It was an incredible defensive play that kept the score tied and allowed the Sooners to regroup and push forward.

The game remained tied until the fifth inning, when junior catcher Isabela Emerling stepped up with two outs and delivered the go-ahead blow. After walks to sophomore utility Ella Parker and Garcia, Emerling crushed the first pitch she saw over the right field fence for a three-run homer, putting Oklahoma up 8-5. Emerling’s blast was her 10th of the season and proved to be the key moment in the game.

“I just wanted to do anything I could for Sam (Landry), honestly,” Emerling said. “ I was like, just do it for Sam. Have your pitcher’s back. So it was nice to get those insurance runs for her.”

In the bottom of the sixth, McEnroe-Marinas added another insurance run, blasting her second solo home run of the day to make it 9-6. The Sooners now had a comfortable lead, and Landry, who had been pitching effectively despite a rocky start, was poised to finish the job.

Despite throwing 102 pitches through the first six innings, Landry returned to the circle to close out the game. Head coach Patty Gasso was considering making a change, but Landry insisted she was ready to finish the game.

“When she was going into the seventh…I kind of made mention to her, ‘We’re going to make a change.’ She looked at me and said, ‘Ma’am. May I ask why?’ I said, ‘Well, I don’t know if you can do it… You look like you’re tired.’ She said, ‘I can do this.’ ‘I don’t know.’ She said, ‘I can do this.’ That’s all I need to hear sometimes, so I let her do it.” Gasso said.

Landry closed out the final inning, securing her 15th win of the season. She allowed six runs on seven hits and struck out six while walking three.

With the 9-6 victory, Oklahoma is keeping pace with Texas in the SEC regular season championship race.

“I think it’s going to be a wild weekend,” Gasso said about next weekend’s matchup against Texas. “I think the energy is going to be up, and I think it can feed us quite a bit.”

OU will host the Longhorns in a three-game series beginning Friday at 5 p.m. at Love’s Field.

This story was edited by Hannah Bryant.

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