Mississippi State rallies to stun Oklahoma in super regional opener

Updated: May 22, 2027, 06:44 pm

Mississippi State scored five runs in the top of the seventh inning to stun Oklahoma 11-9 in a wild super regional opener Friday at Love's Field in Norman, Oklahoma.

The Bulldogs overcame two separate deficits, including a four-run hole in the sixth inning, to hand the Sooners their first home loss of the NCAA tournament. Des Rivera went 3-for-3 with a home run and three runs scored for Mississippi State. The Bulldogs pounded out 15 hits, with six different players driving in runs. Morgan Bernardini went 2-for-2 with two RBIs, while Tatum Silva also drove in a pair of runs, going 2-for-4. Nadia Barbary and Abby Grace Richardson each added two hits and an RBI.

Oklahoma's offense was powered by a historic performance from Kendall Wells, who went 4-for-5 with two home runs and six RBIs. Isabela Emerling and Kasidi Pickering also hit home runs for the Sooners. Emerling finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs, while Kai Minor added two hits and scored twice.

After Mississippi State took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third, Oklahoma's potent offense erupted for five runs in the bottom half of the frame. Wells started the scoring with a two-run homer, followed by a two-run shot from Emerling and a solo blast from Pickering to give the Sooners a 5-1 advantage. The Sooners extended their lead to 6-2 in the fourth on an RBI single from Wells.

Mississippi State chipped away with four runs in the sixth to tie the game 6-6, but Wells answered again in the bottom of the inning with a go-ahead, three-run homer to put Oklahoma back on top 9-6. That gave her 39 home runs on the season, the second most in NCAA history.


The Bulldogs, mounting their decisive rally in the seventh, scored five runs on five hits and two walks. The Sooners committed a season-high four errors in the loss.

Up next: The two teams square off in Game 2 of the Norman Super Regional at Love's Field on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET.

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