Oklahoma
NORMAN, Okla. (05/21/2026) — The Mississippi State Bulldogs rallied from a five-run deficit and answered a late Oklahoma surge with a four-run seventh inning to outlast the Sooners 11-9 in front of 3,966 fans at Love's Field on Thursday.
The back-and-forth slugfest featured 15 scoring plays, two ties, and a lead change that did not come until the final frame. Mississippi State's late offensive eruption overshadowed a historic individual performance from Oklahoma's Kendall Wells and pushed the Bulldogs to a signature win.
How It Happened
The game stayed scoreless until the third inning, when Tatum Silva opened the scoring for Mississippi State with an infield single to shortstop that plated Nadia Barbary. Oklahoma answered emphatically in the bottom half. Wells launched a two-run homer to center, Isabela Emerling followed with a two-run shot to the same part of the yard, and Kasidi Pickering capped the barrage with a solo blast to center. The three home runs in one inning gave the Sooners a 5-1 lead.
Des Rivera trimmed the deficit in the fourth with a solo homer to left, but Wells extended Oklahoma's lead to 6-2 with an RBI single to left center that scored Kai Minor.
Mississippi State found its swing in the sixth, plating four runs to draw even. Barbary singled home Rivera, Kierstyn Sells reached on an error that scored Abby Grace Richardson, Sells later came around on a passed ball, and Morgan Bernardini singled to center to score Sells and knot the game at 6-6.
Wells immediately stamped her name on the night in the bottom of the sixth, crushing a three-run homer to center that brought home Sydney Barker and Ella Parker. The blast was her 39th of the season — the second-most in a single season in NCAA history — and pushed Oklahoma back in front 9-6.
Turning Point
The Bulldogs refused to fold. In the top of the seventh, Richardson doubled to deep center to score Ainsley Supan and push Rivera to third. Xolie Romero singled to right to plate Rivera and trim the deficit to 9-8. Bernardini then drew a bases-loaded walk to score Richardson and tie the game at 9-9.
With the game on the line, Silva delivered the dagger. Her infield single to second baseman A. Agbayani plated Gracie Schaeffer for the go-ahead run, and Romero scampered home on a throwing error that allowed Mississippi State to take the 11-9 lead. The defensive miscue capped a four-run frame that flipped the game and gave the Bulldogs their first lead since the third inning.
Star of the Game
Rivera was the engine of the Mississippi State offense, going a perfect 3-for-3 with a home run, three runs scored and an RBI. She scored Mississippi State's first run after the four-run sixth and came around again as part of the decisive seventh-inning rally.
Richardson backed her up with a 2-for-2 night, scoring twice and driving in the run that started the final-frame comeback with her double to deep center. Bernardini added two RBIs and a walk, while Silva drove in two — including the eventual game-winner. Out of the circle, Delainey Everett delivered 1.1 scoreless innings on one hit with a strikeout to slam the door.
Wells produced one of the most remarkable individual lines of the SEC season for the Sooners, finishing 4-for-5 with two home runs, two runs scored and six RBIs. Her 39th home run pushed her into rare territory in NCAA history.
What It Means
For Mississippi State, the win is a statement of resilience. Climbing out of a four-run hole on the road, weathering Wells' historic night, and then putting up a four-spot in the seventh against a quality Oklahoma bullpen signals an offense capable of grinding through any deficit.
For Oklahoma, the loss stings despite a power display that produced four home runs and 9 runs. The Sooners' pitching staff surrendered 11 runs on 13 hits, and a costly seventh-inning error opened the door for the decisive Mississippi State surge. Wells' march toward the NCAA single-season home run record continues, but the Sooners will need to tighten up defensively and on the mound to control games of this magnitude moving forward.
