Oklahoma’s strong defense gave the Sooners the time they needed to rally and eventually defeat Tennessee in the WCWS.
Oklahoma’s formidable defense played a crucial role in their victory over Tennessee in the Women’s College World Series (WCWS), providing the stability and resilience needed for the Sooners to mount a comeback. By effectively shutting down Tennessee’s offensive threats and making key plays in critical moments, Oklahoma was able to stall the Volunteers’ momentum and buy time for their own offensive opportunities. This disciplined defensive effort not only kept the game within reach but also energized the Sooners, allowing them to rally from behind and ultimately secure the win. The performance underscores the importance of strong defensive play in high-stakes tournaments, where every inning counts and mental toughness can be the difference between victory and defeat.
OKLAHOMA CITY — Before Ella Parker could deliver another iconic postseason moment, Oklahoma’s middle infield kept the Sooners within striking distance.
OU ace Sam Landry found herself in trouble in the top of the seventh.
Singles by Tennessee’s Saviya Morgan and Taylor Pannell joined with an Ella Dodge walk to load the bases with one out.
The 7-seeded Volunteers led the Sooners 3-1, and with the bottom of the lineup due up for the tournament’s 2-seed in the bottom of the seventh, any insurance runs would have surely put the game out of reach.
Landry’s 139th pitch of the afternoon was hit to the left side by former Oklahoma catcher Sophia Nugent.
True freshman shortstop Gabbie Garcia started an all too familiar sequence.
She attacked the ball and shuttled it over to second baseman Ailana Agbayani, who then turned and fired over to Cydney Sanders at first base to complete the double play and keep the deficit manageable.
From there, the OU offense produced another bit of magic.
“It’s amazing, we work on double plays all the time,” Landry said after the win. “So they’re fun to turn in a game. They’re definitely a momentum changer. So having them there to change the momentum, keep it on our side.
“Basically the whole game was kind of on their side. So when we could take those moments and get it back in our dugout, it was a win.”
Oklahoma turned a double play to end the fourth and the fifth inning, too, two moments that proved crucial.
Garcia, Agbayani and Sanders combined to end the fourth, something OU coach Patty Gasso has grown accustomed to this season.
“They love, love, love defense so much that my shoulder, my knee, everything is falling apart because we just have to hit them ground balls constantly,” Gasso said. “They’re all great hitters, but a lot of them, if you asked them what they like better, they’d say defense.”
The combination to end the fifth inning wasn’t as common.
Dodge lifted a ball into center field, and Oklahoma outfielder Hannah Coor was there to make the grab.
She noticed Pannell jump too far off first base, and she fired a strike to Sanders to gun down the Tennessee third baseman.
“Hannah Coor’s play was an absolute momentum changer, and that really saved the game for us because they were about ready to go off,” Gasso said. “… These prime-time defensive plays brought momentum into our dugout.”
The sixth inning didn’t end in a double play, but third baseman Nelly McEnroe-Marinas was able to knock down a hard-hit ball and dive back to the bag for the third out of the inning, saving at least another run in the process.
OU’s heroics both in the field and at the plate earned the Sooners a day off before clashing with 6-seeded Texas on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Oklahoma’s offense means the four-time defending national champs are never out of a game, but the defense keeps Gasso’s team in the fight long enough to deliver clutch at-bats.
“They believe, and I believe, defense wins championships,” Gasso said. “And we had our backs against the wall, and we’re rolling double plays to get out of it and keeping ourselves in the game.”
