Oklahoma-Kentucky softball

Senior outfielder Abby Dayton at the game against Kentucky on April 2, 2026.

 Zsophia Towson/OU Daily

No. 1 OU softball (40-5, 13-2 SEC) fell to No. 21 Oklahoma State (28-11, 9-6 Big 12) 6-4 in a heated Bedlam matchup Thursday night.

The one-game Bedlam series was one to forget for the Sooners, as both sides of the ball failed to hold up their end. Aside from a sixth-inning rally, OU lacked a consistent offensive threat throughout the night, while the pitching staff allowed a string of untimely hits that kept the Sooners from gaining traction.

Here are key takeaways:

Cowgirls shut down Sooner offense

The OU bats never found their rhythm as senior Oklahoma State pitcher Ruby Meylan had a career outing against the most dangerous home run-hitting team in the country. 

Meylan tossed a complete game, striking out nine en route to the Cowgirl victory. OU head coach Patty Gasso was impressed by the senior's performance.

“It's tough,” said Gasso. “It's tough to square her up, and she was on one today. You could see that she was ready for this game, and that's what competitors do.”

Three Sooners went hitless on the night, including junior utility player Ella Parker, who went 0-4 at the plate, striking out three times. Gasso admitted OU came into the game a bit flat following a grueling weekend against Texas.

“I feel we came in a little bit lethargic,” said Gasso. “The history of this program is to bow up, and we got bowed up on and that's OK, because we had to see what it looked like and learn how to punch back a little bit better.”

OU was unable to string together quality at-bats throughout the night, with Meylan consistently getting ahead in counts and forcing weak contact. Though the Sooners made a late push in the sixth inning on a two-run double by senior outfielder Abby Dayton, the rally fell short as OU was unable to complete the comeback.

Kendall Wells’ nation-leading 32nd home run not enough for Sooners

OU freshman catcher Kendall Wells continued her dominant season Wednesday night, hitting her 32nd home run of the season on a line drive to right field.

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The home run put the Sooners ahead 2-1 at the time in a game where momentum was limited. Until that point, OU had managed just three hits and struggled to generate any consistent offense. Wells’ blast was not enough to lift OU to victory, as their late-inning rally attempt fell short.

Wells is now two home runs shy of tying Jocelyn Alo’s team record of 34 (2021, 2022) and five shy of tying the NCAA single-season record of 37, set by former Arizona shortstop Laura Espinoza in 1995.

Sooner pitching struggles

Sophomore Miali Guachino got the ball to start Tuesday’s game in the circle. In 3.2 innings of work, she had a tough outing, allowing four earned runs on six hits while striking out five.

Guachino was relieved by senior Kierston Deal in the fourth inning in a situational move, as Deal was brought in to face two left-handed hitters in the order. The senior has struggled at times this season, sporting a 9.03 earned run average. Those issues continued in the outing, as she allowed an RBI single to her first batter and then issued a walk to the next. Following the brief appearance, Deal was pulled in favor of freshman two-way player Allyssa Parker, as OU looked to limit further damage.

Gasso said postgame that she’d like to see her pitchers become a bit more assertive in their pitch mix.

“I think we need to be more aggressive, pounding the zone really, trying to throw like early strikes and hit good locations,” said Gasso.

After not allowing more than three runs in a game since March 29, the Sooners have now given up back-to-back games with at least four runs, letting in eight to Texas in Sunday's loss and six against Oklahoma State.

Next, OU will take on No. 6 Arkansas at 7 p.m. Friday at Love’s Field in a top-10 matchup on ESPN2.

This story was edited by Laurie Jones.

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