**NORMAN — A familiar face came back to haunt Oklahoma in a heartbreaking Friday night loss.**
Former Sooner **Sophia Nugent** delivered the crushing blow for No. 9 Tennessee, smashing a go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth inning to lift the Vols to a **5-2 victory** at Love’s Field.
### **How It Happened**
– **Dramatic Finish:** With the game tied 2-2, Nugent—who spent two seasons at OU—launched a clutch blast off **Sam Landry**, followed by an insurance run on a wild pitch.
– **Missed Opportunity:** Oklahoma nearly walked it off in the seventh when **Hannah Coor** was **thrown out at home** on a perfect relay from Tennessee right fielder **Gabby Leach**.
– **Pitching Duel:** Tennessee’s **Karlyn Pickens** (4th in ERA nationally) shut down OU’s offense, allowing just one run over 5.2 innings of relief.
– **Struggles at the Plate:** The Sooners went **1-for-7 with runners in scoring position**, stranding eight baserunners.
### **Key Moments**
– **Tennessee struck first** on **Amayah Doyle’s two-run homer** in the second.
– OU cut the deficit with a **Gabbie Garcia sac fly** and tied it on **Abby Dayton’s solo shot** in the fifth.
– **Landry battled**, retiring eight straight at one point, but the Sooners couldn’t take the lead.
### **What’s Next?**
Oklahoma (**30-2, 8-2 SEC**) looks to rebound in **Game 2 at 1 p.m. Saturday (ESPN)** and avoid its first home series loss since last year’s Bedlam.
**Patty Gasso’s Take:**
*”Tennessee is very good… They made big plays when they needed to. For us, it’s timely hitting.”*
Will the Sooners respond? Or will Tennessee pull off the upset? **Saturday’s showdown will tell all.**
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