Trailing Missouri 3-0 heading into the seventh inning, Oklahoma desperately needed a spark. The Sooners had been disjointed offensively the entire game, but they've proven all season they could quickly flip the switch.

Nelly McEnroe-Marinas appeared to give the Sooners life. The redshirt freshman blasted a leadoff solo home run to finally put the Sooners on the board, and Cydney Sanders followed it with a walk.

Instead, they never could sustain that run. Kasidi Pickering struck out, Gabbie Garcia lined out and Ella Parker grounded out for the final out.

The Sooners fell 3-1 to Missouri (18-14, 1-4 SEC) on Saturday, handing them their first loss of the season. The Sooners drop to 28-1 and 7-1 in the SEC.

The issues started on offense. The Sooners never could sustain anything, logging hits in the second, third, fourth and fifth innings, but they never could string consistent hits together. As a result, the Sooners left 10 runners stranded on base.

Those offensive issues combined with a rough start in the circle. Isabella Smith got the start but gave up a home run and an RBI double in the first inning, which put the Sooners in an immediate 2-0 hole. Smith did get out of a bases-loaded jam in the second inning, but OU pitching coach Jennifer Rocha pulled her after she gave up six hits in the first two innings.

Kierston Deal came into relieve Smith and immediately surrendered a solo home run. Deal did eventually found her footing, and she didn't allow another hit over the next four innings while striking out three batters and walking three others.

But Deal's recovery in the circle couldn't spark the Sooners at the plate. Ailana Agbayani finished 2-for-3 at the plate, while Pickering, Sanders and McEnroe-Marinas each added a hit. The Sooners struck out six times as a team.

With the loss, the Sooners suffer their first SEC loss and will now go for the series victory at 12 p.m. Sunday (SECN+).

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