NORMAN — Sam Landry had it going in the circle from the opening pitch.

The veteran opened the game with four strikeouts through the first two innings. Wichita State responded with a leadoff double in the third inning, and an Oklahoma fielding error allowed another base runner on, but Landry responded with back-to-back strikeouts to escape the jam.

The only time Wichita State truly threatened Landry came in the fifth inning, when it blasted a two-out solo home run to right field. But Landry forced a groundout to retire the side.

Every time Wichita State looked to rally, Landry had an answer. The veteran pitcher delivered 10 strikeouts while allowing just three hits, one run and one walk, as the Sooners came away with an 8-1 win over the Shockers Sunday at Love's Field.

"I really loved what Sam did today, the changeup and equalized things, moved the ball well," OU coach Patty Gasso said. "That’s a good hitting team. Wichita is a good hitting team. (We) always struggle with them."

Landry's pitching coincided with the Sooners finding an early rhythm on offense.

Abby Dayton and Ella Parker got things started with leadoff walks in the first inning before Kasidi Pickering added a run with an RBI single. Pickering and Parker then stole home on throwing errors by Wichita State to give the Sooners an early 3-0 lead.

Isabela Emerling handled things in the second inning, when she delivered a solo shot to dead centerfield. Emerling followed that up with an RBI double in the fourth inning that scored Nelly McEnroe-Marinas, a hit that fell just of couple inches from giving her two home runs on the day.

Ailana Agbayani ripped an RBI single to open the fifth inning, and designated player Tia Milloy followed that with an RBI double for the final runs of the game.

The No. 2-ranked Sooners improve to 12-0 on the season.

— Emerling has four hits on the season, and three of them have been home runs. She's tied with Ella Parker, Kasidi Pickering, Sydney Barker and Tia Milloy for the team lead in home runs.

It's been tough sledding early this season for Emerling, who was batting .120 coming into the game. But it was an encouraging sign for the junior to go two for three at the plate.

"My teammates have had my back these last couple of weekends, so it's just nice feeling good up there, swinging the bat hard and making contact," Emerling said.

— OU coach Patty Gasso continues to tinker with lineups. After starting Gabbie Garcia at the designated player and Sydney Barker at short stop in Saturday's win over Tulsa, Garcia got the start at short stop while Milloy assumed the designated player responsibilities.

Milloy, who went two for three at the plate, now has five hits on the season. Three have been home runs.

With Hannah Coor still sidelined with an injury, Ella Parker has continued to handle things in the outfield alongside Dayton and Pickering.

— Landry now has 501 career strikeouts.

— The Sooners stole five bases against the Shockers, with Parker logging two of them. Parker and Cydney Sanders also led the team with two walks apiece.

The Sooners have now stolen 17 bases this season, and Parker has the team lead with five. Sanders leads the team with 15 walks.

— Gasso is never one to be satisfied with her team, and while she was proud of the win, the Sooners' head coach believes there's a long way to go.

Gasso pointed to the Sooners taking an 8-1 lead in the fifth inning but being unable to secure a run-rule victory.

"Throughout the lineup, we had some solid at bats. Our defense was good," Gasso said.

"We’re still missing a piece that we’re going to find. We’re a good team and playing well. But there is something that we’re missing, and that’s that savvy, bow up kind of mentality. It’s something I’ve been used to the last four years. I’ve never had to talk about it or teach it. But this is new to this team. Something we’re going to try to work on. If we’re doing things right and focused throughout, no disrespect to Wichita State, we would have had a run-rule situation. Leaving it the way it was is part of what I’m talking about."

— Up next: The Sooners conclude this weekend with a doubleheader against Bowling Green (11 a.m.) and Abilene Christian (2:30 p.m.) on Sunday. Both games will be broadcast on SEC Network+.

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