Oklahoma fans showed up to Love's Field on Friday expecting a routine Super Regional opener from the No. 3 Sooners. Instead, they got a late-inning stunner. Mississippi State erupted for nine runs over the final two frames to erase two separate four-run deficits and steal Game 1 of the Norman Super Regional, 11-9, handing OU a jarring home loss.
Freshman slugger Kendall Wells did everything she could to keep Oklahoma in control. She went 4-for-5 with two home runs and six RBIs, including a go-ahead three-run blast in the sixth that pushed her season total to 39 homers and moved her past Laura Espinoza on the NCAA single-season list. "I felt so prepared today," Wells said, while head coach Patty Gasso promised the Sooners would be "ready to make this right," according to the recap from the University of Oklahoma.
Mississippi State's late surge
For six innings, it looked like Oklahoma had things handled. Then Mississippi State started squeezing the pressure points. The Bulldogs mounted their comeback with a string of tough at-bats and timely swings, capping it with a five-run seventh that featured an RBI walk, a two-run single and a throwing error that flipped the momentum completely.
Mississippi State piled up 15 hits on the night, and pitcher Delainey Everett slammed the door in the seventh by stranding two runners to lock down the win, per Mississippi State Athletics.
Errors, momentum and snapped streaks
Oklahoma's defense picked a rough time to have an off night. The Sooners were charged with four errors and surrendered the most hits they have ever allowed in a Super Regional game, miscues that opened the door for Mississippi State's late surge.
The loss did more than just put OU in a series hole. It snapped Oklahoma's 18-game Super Regional winning streak and ended a 13-game NCAA postseason home winning streak at Love's Field, according to local coverage by News On 6.
What's next
Mississippi State now holds a 1-0 edge in the best-of-three Super Regional and sits one win away from a trip to Oklahoma City. OU and the Bulldogs are set to meet again at noon Saturday at Love's Field, with the game scheduled for national broadcast, per KOCO.
The Sooners will try to regroup quickly and protect their home turf in Game 2. The winner of the series advances to the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City.
