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OU softball taken out in SEC Tournament quarterfinals by UGA

Bob Przybyloby: Bob Przybylo05/08/26BPrzybylo

OU softball does not give up five-run leads. But a week removed from letting a four-run lead slip away, it was the five-run variety Thursday.

OU, the No. 1 seed in the SEC Tournament, is sent home early, losing to No. 9 seed Georgia, 10-5, on Thursday night in Lexington, Ky., in the quarterfinals.

The Sooners were absolutely rolling early. Up 4-0 after the first inning, 5-0 after the second. But UGA found life and pitching. OU could never find that momentum once again.

Ella Parker had an RBI double and Gabbie Garcia had a two-run double in the four-run first. Then Kai Minor crushed a solo home run to begin the second inning. And you started to wonder about run-rule territory.

Instead, Georgia hit a pair of solo home runs off starter Miali Guachino in the fourth. And then a huge three-run shot to tie it in the fourth off Allyssa Parker.

OU went to ace Audrey Lowry, but she couldn’t quite handle the Dawgs.

Freshman Kendall Wells did not homer for the fifth consecutive game. She remains at 36 home runs and UCLA’s Megan Grant hit her 36th homer of the season in the Bruins’ game Thursday night. Both are one home run shy of tying the NCAA single-season record.

It is the largest blown lead for OU since the 2016 Women’s College World Series.

The Sooners had just swept the Bulldogs in a three-game set in Norman two weeks ago.

OU (48-8) awaits its fate on Selection Sunday. Have the Sooners still done enough to earn the No. 1 overall seed?

“Definitely not the outcome, but congratulations to Georgia,” Gasso said. “They are playing some great softball right now and it’s been fun to watch their passion. And I’m a big fan of their coaching staff and the way they do things. They got us. They shellshocked us. We came out strong early, scored five in the first two innings, and then completely got shut down. I felt a little bit of just disconnect.

“Especially in the fourth when they scored five and tied us, our pitching staff started to get anxious, I felt our hitters get anxious, I felt our defense get anxious, there was a glazed look on some of the faces that is not something I’ve seen all season. So I was concerned about it and I don’t think we had enough to come back from that. I have not seen that yet, and if it’s going to happen now is the time because after that, our season is going to be over. Sooners bounce back, they know how to, they always have, they always know how to respond. So, we’re going home, we’re going to retool this and get it right.” 

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