Oklahoma had one final chance Saturday against Alabama. The Sooners trailed the Crimson Tide 1-0 heading into the seventh inning, and they had three outs to either tie it or take the lead.
Enter Maya Bland.
Gabbie Garcia opened the frame with a leadoff bunt on a single to give the Sooners a baserunner. OU coach Patty Gasso went with a late change, bringing in Bland to pinch hit for Hannah Coor
It paid off. Facing two strikes, Bland sent a two-run home run to give the Sooners a 2-1 lead.
oh me oh @maya__bland strikes in the 7th! pic.twitter.com/D8V7EpzpZU
— Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) April 12, 2025
The hit was yet another excellent play for Bland, whose three-run home run was pivotal in the Sooners' win over Oklahoma State on Wednesday.
Bland's home run appeared to give life to the Sooners' struggling offense. Abby Dayton walked on the next-at bat, true freshman Kadey Lee McKay logged a single, then Ailana Agbayani drove in Dayton with an RBI double. Kasidi Pickering followed with an RBI single, and a sacrifice bunt from Nelly McEnroe-Marinas drove in another run.
The result? Five straight runs for the Sooners in the seventh inning. That was enough to secure a 5-1 win over Alabama, as they rallied to steal the series opener in Tuscaloosa.
It took the offense some time to get going, but Sam Landry kept things steady in the circle. Landry surrendered just three hits and one walk through seven innings while striking out six batters. The only blemish came in the third inning when she allowed a leadoff double to Brooke Elestad, who was eventually brought home on a sacrifice fly.
Otherwise, Landry was fantastic. To seal the win, she retired the side in the bottom of the seventh inning, which included back-to-back strikeouts to end the game.
Pickering led the way offensively, going 2-for-4 at the plate. The Sooners logged eight hits as a team, with five of them coming in the seventh inning.
With the win, the Sooners improve to 36-3 on the season and 10-3 in the SEC. They'll look to secure the series at 5 p.m. Sunday (SEC Network).
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