Oklahoma softball: Championship loss does not define a team or a season

Oklahoma softball lost six times in 63 games this season. Four of those losses came in the postseason, but it is the final two that will hurt the most.

Unlike Monday’s opening game in the Women’s College World Series championship series, Game 2 was exciting from beginning to end and considerably more representative of a championship contest between the top two seeded teams.

The outcome of both games between No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 2 UCLA was the same– both ending in UCLA victories, earning the Bruins a 12th WCWS championship — even though the games themselves were quite different.

One was a laugher, a 13-run, behind-the-woodshed whipping. Game 2 was much more dramatic, the Bruins winning on a walk-off single by sophomore Kinsley Washington with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, scoring pinch-runner Jacqui Prober with the winning run.

The Oklahoma players would probably tell you that Tuesday’s loss was much harder to stomach, and not just because it resulted in UCLA winning the national championship.

Oklahoma City Oklahoman sports columnist Berry Tramel minced few words in describing the 2019 WCWS championship series:

"“The truth is, UCLA was the superior team,” he wrote. “OU was good, maybe even great. But UCLA was better.”"

You can’t argue with that. Oklahoma played UCLA three times this season and lost all three. Two of the games weren’t even close.

The Sooners were finally playing like they had all season, and they weren’t at all intimidated by UCLA pitching ace and USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Rachel Garcia. OU was within one out of sending the game into extra innings, where, who knows, it might have been able to complete the comeback, survive Game 2 and send the series to a deciding Game 3.

Coming off a 16-3 blowout loss on Monday and then finding themselves in a quick 2-0  hole on Tuesday when the first two UCLA batters blasted 1-0 pitches over the left field fence, it would have been easy for the Oklahoma softball team to lose its will to fight on.

But that is not the character of this Sooner team, led by four seniors who have been to the Women’s College World Series every year they have been at Oklahoma and won it twice.

“We had probably one of the worst games we’ve ever played (on Monday),” said Sooner head coach Patty Gasso in her postgame interview session.

"“To come back the way we did (on Tuesday), I couldn’t be more proud of this team. They fought their tails off.”"

Sydney Romero, who hit a home run in the third inning of Game 2 to bring the Sooners within a run of the Bruins, felt good about the way her team played in Game 2, despite the heartbreaking loss.

"“I feel like we came out today, we bounced back, we gave it our all,” the OU senior said. I think that’s all you could ever ask for. This team fought.”"

The four OU senior starters (Romero, Caleigh Clifton, Fale Aviu and Shay Knighton) plus senior reserves Kylie Lundberg and Reagan Rogers, compiled a four-year record of 232-28 while at OU. Even more remarkable, the Sooner teams they played on lost just two of 72 games against Big 12 opponents and won four conference championships.

Oklahoma will miss a lot in the departure of these six seniors, but they have a solid nucleus returning, including the three primary starting pitchers (“G” Juarez, Mariah Lopez and Shannon Saile) and five position players in the starting lineup.

Expect Patty Gasso’s team to be right back in the thick of things and contending for a national championship again next season.