Weekend Wrap: Offensive Struggles Doom Oklahoma Again

The first six innings of each contest were treacherous for the Sooners. 

Only one of OU’s seven runs against Alabama came before the seventh inning, a fourth inning nuke by Nelly McEnroe-Marinas on Monday. 

Otherwise, the offense couldn’t get a beat on a Crimson Tide pitching staff that had struggled this year by the program’s lofty standards. 

Five of OU’s eight hits on Saturday came in the five-run seventh. 

Four of the Sooners’ six hits on Monday came in the seventh and eighth innings. 

For the series, Oklahoma hit 7-for-29 with runners on and 3-for-15 with runners in scoring position. 

It all was reminiscent of the series defeat to Tennessee where hitters not named Kasidi Pickering and Gabbie Garcia combined to go 6-for-58 with seven walks against the Volunteers. 

The struggles led to a pair of big lineup decisions by Gasso on Monday. 

Sydney Barker, who launched a solo shot on Sunday to continue OU’s scoring streak, started at first in place of Cydney Sanders. Fellow freshman Corri Hicks started over Isabela Emerling behind the plate, too. 

Sanders and Emerling both finished the game as Barker and Hicks didn’t bring an energy shift to the lineup. 

Associate head coach and hitting coach JT Gasso has three more SEC weekends to get the lineup on track before postseason begins. 

Waiting for a No. 2

In 15 innings, OU ace Sam Landry allowed three runs. 

That should win the Sooners every series. 

Yet the weight of every weekend seems to sit on the Louisiana transfer’s shoulders. 

Kierston Deal was outstanding against Tennessee, which could have been a turning point in the season, but she was chased out of Sunday’s game after allowing four hits and three runs in 2 1/3 innings. 

Isabella Smith got out of a jam in the third, but a pair of misplayed bunts by OU’s defense put her in a bases loaded jam with no outs in the fourth.

Freshman Audrey Lowry did well with her three innings, allowing just one of Smith’s inherited baserunners to score and surrendering one home run after that was a two-run shot due to an error, but she’s only made two appearances in conference play. 

The Sooners need Lowry to emerge as the Robin to Landry’s Batman while the offense works through growing pains the rest of the month.

Landry’s excellence can get Oklahoma back to the Women’s College World Series, but a second pitcher emerging can buy OU’s offense time to work through any hiccups at Devon Park.