On February 27, 2025, the Oklahoma Sooners softball team kept their perfect season alive in a heart-pounding 5-4 victory over Bowling Green, capped by Kasidi Pickering’s electrifying walk-off homer in the eighth inning. The defending national champions, now 11-0, showcased their resilience and clutch gene in an extra-inning thriller that left fans at Palmer Field buzzing and the Falcons reeling.
The game was a pitcher’s duel early, with Oklahoma’s Kelly Maxwell and Bowling Green’s Taylor Turner trading zeros through four innings. The Sooners struck first in the fifth, as Cydney Sanders’ two-run double gave them a 2-0 lead. But Bowling Green fought back, tying it in the sixth on a two-run shot by Peyton Dolejs, then surging ahead 4-2 in the seventh with a pair of singles. With their unbeaten streak on the line, Oklahoma rallied. Ella Parker’s RBI triple and a wild pitch knotted the score at 4-4, forcing extras.
In the eighth, Maxwell shut down the Falcons, setting the stage for Pickering’s heroics. The junior outfielder, already 2-for-3 on the night, stepped up with one out and launched a 2-1 fastball over the left-field wall, igniting a raucous celebration. Her teammates mobbed her at the plate, while the crowd roared in disbelief at the dramatic finish. Pickering’s blast marked her third homer of the season and underscored why the Sooners remain a juggernaut under coach Patty Gasso.
Bowling Green, now 4-6, showed grit but couldn’t overcome Oklahoma’s depth. Maxwell earned the win, striking out eight over eight innings. The victory extends the Sooners’ home winning streak to 67 games, a testament to their dominance. As SEC play looms, this thriller proves Oklahoma’s knack for delivering under pressure—a warning shot to every contender dreaming of dethroning the champs.
