Kasidi Pickering blasted a home run and narrowly missed another, as the second-ranked OU softball team came from behind to beat No. 16 Oklahoma State 11-3 on Wednesday at Devon Park.
With the Sooners trailing 3-0 in the third, Pickering blasted a two-run home run in the fourth after Maya Bland led off the inning with a walk.
The Sooners then added five more in the fourth to take control, on Bland’s three-run home run.
The home run was Bland’s second of the season.
OU then ended the game with four runs in the fifth, including Pickering’s double off the top of the left-field wall.
Here are three quick takeaways from the Sooners’ win:
Ella Parker heats up
Ella Parker had been in an extended slump as she’s dealt with a foot injury.
But Parker broke out Wednesday, going 3 for 3 with two RBIs, a run, a double and a walk.
It was Parker’s first multi-hit game since March 1.
Parker had an infield single in the first, delivered an RBI single in OU’s five-run fourth and then capped her night with an RBI double in the fifth just before Gabbie Garcia ended the game with an RBI single.
Attendance sets college softball record
The game — the lone Bedlam game of the season — set an NCAA regular-season attendance record of 9,259.
The attendance broke the previous record of 8,930 set in 2023 when the Sooners took on Texas at Devon Park.
Early attack not enough for Cowgirls
The OSU offense came out swinging, and that was enough to generate runs in the first inning.
The Cowgirls put the ball in play, and OU committed two errors on the infield as the Cowgirls brought a pair of runs in.
Tia Warsop came around to score from first base when a ground ball back to OU pitcher Sam Landry bounced off her glove. After running the ball down, Landry tried to flip the ball with her glove to first base but it went past Cydney Sanders, allowing Warsop to come all the way around.
Rosie Davis, who went to second on the error, scored when Amanda Hasler’s ground ball to third base was mishandled.
Davis tacked on OSU’s third run with a solo home run to right-center field in the top of the third for a 3-0 lead.
But OSU’s momentum ended there. The Cowgirls had just two more hits the rest of the game.
Ryan Aber covers OU athletics for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Ryan? He can be reached at raber@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @RyAber. Sign up for the OU Sooners newsletter to access more OU coverage. Support Ryan’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Maya Bland, Kasidi Pickering fuel OU softball to Bedlam run-rule win