The means to the end may not have been what coach Patty Gasso expected, but OU softball’s come-from-behind 3-2 win over Baylor in the seventh inning Saturday showed the coach just what kind of team she has — a team that never quits.

The Sooners trailed the entire game until the final inning, when the team put together a three-run rally to secure the victory.

“This is the best game I’ve been involved in this season,” Gasso said. “These guys were on a mission, and I could see it in their eyes. I didn’t need to coach; this team was together in their huddles.”

While the Sooners had a collective mindset going into the game, OU remained stagnant at the plate. Hitting into double plays and failing to score with the bases loaded hampered the Sooner offense during the first six innings. OU left seven runners on base during the matchup.

Sophomore second baseman Brianna Turang led off the Sooners with a free base after getting hit by a pitch. Freshman center fielder Destinee Martinez moved Turang into scoring position off a bunt back to the pitcher on her first pitch.

The Sooners loaded the bases for senior Haley Nix after home-run hitter Jessica Shults collected her first walk of the game, but the team couldn’t score any runs with the opportunity, leaving all three runners on base for the inning.

“We were up against another Keilani Ricketts,” Gasso said about Baylor pitcher Whitney Canion. “It’s been a long time for our team to do something like this.”

Baylor collected the team’s second double play of the game after Martinez hit a shot to Bears second baseman KJ Freeland, who caught the ball and tagged Turang during the hit-and-run call. In the first inning, Dobbs hit into a double play to end the inning.

Dobbs also hit into her second double play to close out the fourth after Nix singled to right field.

But the tie ballgame would not hold through the fifth inning.

Baylor’s first baseman Holly Holl doubled to left-center to get things started off the Bears in the top of the fifth. A sacrifice bunt by BU’s Clare Hosack moved Holl to third with two left in the inning.

Designated player Kelsi Kettler then broke the tie with an RBI-single to shallow left to give Baylor a 1-0 lead. The Bears extended the lead to 2-0 after third baseman Megan Turk hit solo shot over the right field fence on a 2-1 pitch count.

The Sooners initiated a short-lived rally in the bottom half of the sixth. Martinez reached on a fielding error before Nix singled to left field and advanced to second on the throw to third. Dobbs then walked to load the bases, but starting pitcher Keilani Ricketts couldn’t come up with an RBI during her at-bat, stranding all three batters.

Ricketts kept the Bears from scoring additional runs in the top of the seventh, giving the Sooners a two-run deficit to work against. The sophomore maintained her composure after giving up the two-earned earlier in the game, collecting eight strikeouts and allowing just one walk through seven innings in the circle.

And then came the do-or-die moment in the bottom of seventh inning.

“Our motto was ‘Being Together,’” Shults said. “And we kept saying that all game.”

Junior designated player Katie Norris singled to left to get the rally started after the Sooners registered a quick first out off of a pop-up by pinch hitter freshman Cierra Hughes.

Senior Chana’e Jones added a walk to put two runners on with one out. Pinch runner Javen Henson stole third to put the Sooners that much closer to home plate before Turang singled and Martinez knocked in the two runs needed to tie the game with a slap into shallow right-center, bringing heavy-hitter Shults up to the plate with runners in scoring position.

With bat in hand, the team’s home run leader failed to send the 1-2 pitch out of the park but placed the fly-out just far enough to let Turang tag-up from third base to score the winning run.

“I saw Martinez come in the clutch and give up the momentum we needed,” Shults said. “And I wanted to come in and do the same for the team.”

The Sooners look to complete the series sweep against Baylor with the final matchup, slated for noon Sunday at Marita Hynes Field.