Oklahoma Sooners Advance to Regional Final with Big Win

NORMAN, Oklahoma — The No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners (47-7) cruised to an 11-2 victory over the California Golden Bears (36-20) on Saturday, May 17, advancing to the NCAA Norman Regional final at Love's Field. Sophomore outfielder Kasidi Pickering highlighted the win with two home runs, including a grand slam, driving in six runs during the game.

In just the first at-bat of the afternoon, Pickering put the Sooners on the board with a 77-mph home run to left field. California quickly answered, with Kaylee Pond hitting a solo homer in the bottom of the first to tie the game at 1-1.

Oklahoma took control in the second inning, scoring four runs without a single extra-base hit. Pickering’s single gave OU a 2-1 lead, followed by back-to-back hits from Ella Parker and Sydney Barker, bringing the score to 5-1 after a hit by pitch to Gabbie Garcia.

California managed to close the gap to 5-2 in the third inning after a series of solid hits. However, the Sooners’ defense, anchored by a spectacular double play executed by third baseman Nicole McEnroe-Marinas, limited the damage and maintained Oklahoma’s lead.

Garcia further extended OU’s advantage with a two-run homer in the fourth inning, before Pickering sealed the game with her grand slam, boosting Oklahoma’s score to 11-2.

After the game, Oklahoma’s coach Patty Gasso praised her team’s knack for stringing together quality at-bats. “They swing it well… but I love when you have rallies going,” said Gasso.

Freshman left-hander Audrey Lowry took over on the mound in the fifth inning, retiring all three California batters she faced to end the match.

With this victory, the Sooners now await the outcome of the late game on Saturday to determine their opponent for the regional final, set for 1 p.m. on Sunday. A win will secure Oklahoma a spot in the Super Regionals starting next weekend.