Oklahoma softball: Do the Sooners have any life, fight left in WCWS?

Who are these imposters, and what have they done with the real Oklahoma softball team?

That is the question most Oklahoma fans are asking themselves the day after an inexplicable meltdown by the Sooners, whose 16-3 hammering by a charged-up UCLA offense was the most runs allowed by OU all season and tied the biggest victory margin in the 19-year history of the Women’s College World Series championship series history.

After forging a sensational 48-2 record in the regular season, the best 50-game record in program history, the top-seeded Sooners are just 8-3 in the postseason, including losses in two of their last three games.

They now face elimination, something they have been up against two times before this postseason and overcome — against Wisconsin in the regional round and Alabama in the WCWS. Oklahoma must win Game 2 against UCLA on Tuesday night or they will be forced to endure the Bruins celebrating a 12th World Series title on a diamond conveniently located just 30 minutes away from the OU campus.

The big question facing head coach Patty Gasso and her team as they ready themselves for Tuesday night’s must-win showdown against the No. 2-seeded Bruins, who have beaten OU rather handily twice this season (by a combined score of 23-4), is: Can the Sooners rebound from the Monday night debacle and do they have enough fight to stave off elimination and force a deciding game on Wednesday.

Gasso summed up Monday’s game in a few words, telling reporters in her postgame comments: “They cleaned our clocks.

"“There was nothing in our game that worked tonight. Nothing., said the Sooner head coach. “Our pitching wasn’t good, our defense wasn’t good. It’s very atypical of this team. It happened at the wrong time, but they are not discouraged.”"

The Sooner players may not be discouraged, but they can’t help but have some serious concerns, having to go up against UCLA pitching ace Rachel Garcia, the USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Year for a third time this season. The Oklahoma offense, No, 1 in the country this season, has had virtually zero success solving the Bruin superstar.

Garcia threw only 61 pitches in five innings of work Monday night, so she should be fresh and ready to go again against the Sooners on Tuesday. She didn’t strike out a single OU hitter on Monday, but she fanned 16 Sooners in the Bruins 7-1 win earlier in the season.

Oklahoma ace “G” Jaurez will get the call in the circle again on Tuesday, with the assignment of saving the Sooners’ season. The junior transfer from Arizona State is 28-3 on the season, but two of those losses have come in the last two days. Juarez started against the Bruins Monday night, but was pulled after four innings, allowing four runs on five hits.

"“Every loss we’ve had this season, we’ve taken it and learned from it,” OU senior and team captain Caleigh Clifton said after Game 1 on Monday. “We take it, we bounce back, ready to fight. We’re going to bring a whole new game on Tuesday.”"

Coach Gasso reinforced Clifton’s optimistic outlook:

"“We might have embarrassed our Sooner Nation, but we’re going to do everything we can to make them proud (Tuesday.”"

Time will Sooner tell…