The Oklahoma Sooners didn't just miss out on another SEC title, but probably even a shot at making history.
The No. 1 seed Sooners fell to No. 9 Georgia 10-5 in the quarterfinals of the SEC Softball Tournament on Thursday in Lexington, Kentucky, to not only abruptly end their run at a rare SEC title sweep, but also sideline them during their race to history with the UCLA Bruins.
UCLA running away with NCAA record as Oklahoma watches
With both teams already shattering the previous NCAA record for most home runs in a season, OU and UCLA entered the postseason neck-and-neck with 173 homers apiece while trying to get sole possession of the record. But as the Sooners stumbled Thursday night, the Bruins hit their stride.
The Sooners squandered a 5-0 lead to Georgia as freshman Kai Minor's solo shot in the second inning to put OU's last run on the board was the only home run of the day. Meanwhile, the Bruins, in their first game of the Big Ten Softball Tournament, crushed four homers to cruise past Penn State 6-1 and set up at least one more chance to pad their total.
Read more: Patty Gasso sends Oklahoma a ruthless message after SEC Softball Tournament collapse
UCLA senior Megan Grant was the first one to hit a ball over the fence in the opening inning. That homer tied her with OU freshman Kendall Wells for a nation-leading 36 homers.
Wells has been idle at 36 for five games now while being just a swing away from tying the NCAA record for most home runs in a season by a player, which was set by Arizona's Laura Espinoza in 1995. Now, Grant also needs only one more while Wells won't have a bat in her hands again for a week.
UCLA gained a three-homer lead (177-174) as the Sooners are now stuck at a standstill and the Bruins will face Wisconsin on Friday. The Badgers, on average, are giving up at least one home run a game this season, so UCLA should further extend its lead to history. A win would also give the Bruins one more chance to add even more bombs while the Sooners watch from Norman until the NCAA tournament starts.
OU head coach Patty Gasso has made it clear that she's more concerned about making history as a champion than record-breaker, but making a deeper run in the Women's College World Series than UCLA might be the Sooners' only chance at not only coming out on top as champions, but also in the record book.
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