NORMAN — Oklahoma had to battle back twice to avoid its first three-game losing skid in a decade.
The No. 1 Sooners fell behind 4-0 to No. 8 Arkansas at Love’s Field on Friday, but Patty Gasso’s squad roared back.
Isabela Emerling hammered a grand slam to tie the game in the third, then freshman Lexi McDaniel finally put OU on top with an RBI-double in the fifth.
The Sooners added a couple more runs in the sixth, which proved necessary.
Arkansas plated two runs with two away in the seventh, and with slugger Tianna Bell stepping in and a runner on second, Gasso turned to freshman Allyssa Parker.
Parker got Bell to ground out to end the game and seal the 8-7 victory.
Oklahoma hasn’t lost three consecutive games since dropping the final two games of the 2015 season and falling in the opener of the 2016 season. The Sooners haven’t dropped three straight games in the same season since 2011.
Audrey Lowry got the start in the circle for OU (41-5, 14-2 SEC), but Arkansas (35-7, 10-6) opened the scoring in the second inning.
Lowry allowed a pair of singles and issued a one-out walk to load the bases, which brought up Razorbacks second baseman Karlie Davison.
Davison fouled off a pair of offerings before redirecting Lowry’s 2-2 delivery back up the middle, plating two with a single.
After a quick chat with pitching coach Jennifer Rocha, Lowry was able to get back on track.
She induced a grounder back to the circle to log the second out of the inning, then got Brinli Bain to pop back up to Kendall Wells in foul territory to limit Arkansas to the two runs.
Bell doubled the lead with a towering two-run shot in the top of the third, but the Sooners came alive.
Freshman Kai Minor brought some life back to Love’s Field with a leadoff double in the bottom half of the inning, then Arkansas left-hander Robyn Herron plunked Kendall Wells with the next pitch.
Two batters later, Gabbie Garcia drew a walk to load the bases for Emerling.
She watched two pitches get called for balls before lifting a pitch to right field to tie the game at 4-4.
It was Emerling’s ninth-career home run, which ties her for third all-time in NCAA D1 history.
Lowry was able to build on the big swing in the circle in the fourth. She sat Arkansas down in order in the fourth for the first time on the night.
The Sooners put two more on in the bottom half of the inning with two outs, but Ella Parker flew out to the wall to send the game to the fifth.
Following Bell’s homer, Lowry retired six straight batters, but Ella McDowell brought that run to an end.
The Arkansas third baseman launched a solo shot in the fifth to put the visitors back in front 5-4.
But the Sooners were again able to battle back.
Gabbie Garcia singled and Emerling got hit to put a pair of runners aboard to start the frame, then Kasidi Pickering moved both of the runners over with a groundout to the right side.
Ailana Agbayani put the ball in play to the left side of the infield, but the throw to the plate was high, and pinch-runner Tia Milloy was able to slide in safely to tie the game, though Chaney Helton, who was running for Emerling, tripped on the basepaths and got drawn into a pickle for the second out of the inning.
Gassothen called upon her bench.
McDanielpinch-hit for Sydney Barker, and the freshman gave Oklahoma its first lead of the game with an RBI-double off the outfield wall.
Wells added insurance with an RBI-single in the sixth, which marked the 73rd run the freshman catcher has driven in this season.
The Sooners weren’t done.
Garcia and Emerling drew back-to-back one-out walks to load the bases for Pickering.
Pickering narrowly missed a grand slam herself, but the out was deep enough to easily bring Wells home.
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McDowell got one back for the Razorbacks in the seventh with two outs, then an RBI-double by Cam Harrison prompted Gasso to make a pitching change.
Lowry allowed eight hits and four walks, but struck out three in 6 2/3 innings. One of the Razorbacks’ seven runs was unearned.
Parker recorded an out against the only batter she faced.
Garcia finished the game a perfect 2-for-2 at the plate with two walks, and Wells ended the game 1-for-2 with a walk and a hit by pitch.
The Sooners and the Razorbacks will be back in action on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Love’s Field.
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