‘That sucked’: High-ranked UCLA softball blown out by Oklahoma in revenge recreation

With a delicate shrug, Kelly Inouye-Perez summed it up as greatest she may.

“Properly,” stated the UCLA softball coach after the top-seeded Bruins misplaced 14-0 to Oklahoma“that sucked.”

There wasn’t far more so as to add after the massive matchup on the Mary Nutter collegiate basic become a joke.

The Bruins (17-1) scored simply three hits in Cathedral Metropolis on Sunday, whereas the No. 2 Sooners (13-1) scored six residence runs off 20 hits to provide UCLA its second consecutive head-to-head shutout loss . collection. Final June, Oklahoma defeated the Bruins 15-0 within the semifinals of the Girls’s School World Sequence to shut out their season. UCLA has misplaced 4 of its final 5 video games to the two-time defending champion Sooners.

The groups ranked first and second within the preseason, and UCLA, which had three wins in opposition to ranked groups on the Clearwater Invitational two weeks in the past, jumped into first place when Oklahoma misplaced to Baylor on February 19.

UCLA posted three extra standings victories on the Mary Nutter Basic, highlighted by Megan Faraimo’s five-inning no-hitter in opposition to No. 3 Florida on Thursday, elevating anticipation for Sunday’s event closing. MLB Community deliberate to broadcast the sport on tape delay, making it the community’s first faculty softball recreation. It drew a packed crowd standing a dozen rows deep on each foul strains and across the outfield.

But it surely wasn’t lengthy earlier than the UCLA followers alongside the third final analysis fell silent.

Oklahoma chased Faraimo within the second inning and tagged her for 4 runs, all on homers and eight hits in 1 2/3 innings. The fifth-year senior gave up each single with two outs and two strikeouts.

“You’re attempting to broaden the zone and these hitters are so good they usually’re nonetheless getting their bearings,” Faraimo stated. “So I believe for me it has quite a bit to do with motion, disrupting the timing. … However with the 2 out I would like to complete robust.

Faraimo labored out a basesloaded malfunction within the first inning, however gave up a solo homer to No. 9 batter Alyssa Brito to begin a streak of seven OU runners to achieve base. Oklahoma star Tiare Jennings knocked Faraimo out of the sport with a two-run homer. Faraimo has allowed 17 hits and 11 earned runs in her final three appearances in opposition to the Sooners, together with two video games throughout final yr’s World Sequence.

After Faraimo, Lauren Shaw gave up 5 hits and 4 runs in two-thirds of an inning earlier than freshman Taylor Tinsley, who went the space on Saturday-evening in a 3-0 win in opposition to Texas A&M, closed the sport. Tinsley gave up eight hits and 5 earned runs.

“I intentionally threw Megan out as a result of I wished her to study now earlier than it was on the finish,” stated Inouye-Perez. “If Megan will get hit, it places us ready (that) we haven’t been in but.”

In a charmed begin to the season, UCLA eradicated six ranked groups in its first 17 video games. Battling a frenetic opening schedule with 18 video games in 18 days, freshmen like Megan Grant and Jordan Woolery turned in well timed at bats and entered Sunday’s recreation with 21 and 17 RBIs, respectively. Senior Maya Brady went on a 10-game hitting streak within the top-ranked matchup.

However in opposition to Oklahoma starter Alex Storako, the three hot-hitting Bruins mixed for one hit in six at-bats when Grant singled within the first inning.

“It’s early,” Brady stated. ‘It’s February. They’re clearly an awesome group, however (it’s) early, there’s nonetheless an enormous a part of the yr to go and it’s not what occurs, nevertheless it’s what you do after that, and I do know this group is popping out more durable will come than ever.