Familiar Foes Oklahoma and UCLA Meet Again in the WCWS Semifinals on Monday

OKLAHOMA CITY — Monday, Oklahoma will meet UCLA on the Girls’s Faculty World Sequence for the third straight season.

In 2019, the Bruins topped the Sooners within the championship sequence.

Final 12 months the Sooners exacted revenge, ousting UCLA en path to a Nationwide Championship of their very own.

This time, UCLA should beat Oklahoma in back-to-back video games to oust the match’s high seed and make it again to the championship sequence.

The historical past between the 2 groups isn’t simply restricted to battles in Oklahoma Metropolis, nevertheless.

Earlier this season, Oklahoma (56-2) beat the Bruins (50-9) on the Mark Campbell Traditional in Irvine, CA.

True freshman Jordy Bahl acquired the beginning within the circle for the Sooners, and the OU ace dazzled.

Putting out 14 Bruin hitters, Bahl pitched an entire sport to assist her staff win the early-season tilt 4-1.

Lots can change over the course of a season, because the Sooners at the moment are nearly relying simply on Hope Trautwein within the circle on the WCWS, however Oklahoma’s high three hitters have remained a continuing risk.

UCLA pitchers Megan Faraimo and Holly Azevedo should carry their finest stuff to try to quiet the bats of Jayda Coleman, Jocelyn Alo and Tiare Jennings.

The trio of OU All-People have been electrical to this point within the WCWS, as they’ve mixed to hit 11-of-18, driving in 10 RBIs and drawing 5 walks in two video games.

Alo’s efficiency comes as no shock as she’s a seasoned veteran on softball’s largest stage. However Coleman and Jennings have additionally appeared proper at residence of their second journey to the WCWS.

“Seeing (Coleman and Jennings) simply thrive on this atmosphere is enjoyable to observe,” Alo stated after the Sooners beat Texas on Saturday. “… I do not suppose you will come throughout one other — any form of participant like these two. I am simply excited for the way younger they’re and excited to see the place they will go. Undoubtedly blessed that I acquired one other 12 months with them simply attributable to COVID.

“I simply keep in mind speaking about it with Tiare, like, I can not wait to play with you that one 12 months. Grateful that I acquired two.”

The Bruins are effectively conscious of the risk Oklahoma poses. However as UCLA tries to dig themselves out of the losers’ bracket, middle fielder Maya Brady stated her staff is simply making an attempt to give attention to themselves.

“Clearly they’re an unbelievable staff throughout,” Brady stated after UCLA beat Florida on Sunday. “however I feel for us one thing that I feel that this staff has actually gone by this 12 months can be adversity, and I feel that it is solely made us stronger, and it is actually made us look inside.

“So our coach talks about it so much. Do not even fear in regards to the opponent. You need to make the opponent examine you, and I feel that is one thing that this staff is admittedly good at is specializing in one another. We have needed to look to one another all 12 months, so clearly we all know it will be a troublesome sport, however we’ll take it one pitch at a time.”

One thing not discovered within the scouting studies would be the relaxation benefit the Sooners have over UCLA.

Oklahoma has solely needed to take the sphere twice in Oklahoma Metropolis, whereas the Bruins have needed to battle for his or her lives after dropping their opener to Texas.

Jennings stated the additional days of relaxation have helped your complete staff keep locked in, and it’s helped OU keep firing on all cylinders on the WCWS.

“(The) time without work positively helps,” Jennings stated on Saturday. “It simply offers us an opportunity to recuperate, take a breath, keep out of the solar, get our pitchers recovered. It is a time to organize.

“I feel the time without work positively has helped us for certain. I actually just like the adjustment to this match.”

The 2 historic applications will as soon as once more take the sphere in Oklahoma Metropolis on Monday at 11 a.m. in a contest broadcast on ESPN.

If the Sooners win, they’ll return to the best-of-three championship sequence, the place they’ll both meet Oklahoma State or Texas.

A Bruin win will power the “if” sport, which can instantly observe the conclusion of Sport 1 between OU and UCLA at 1:30 p.m. on Monday. 

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