Oklahoma softball shut out top-ranked UCLA 14-0 with an offensive explosion

Oklahoma and UCLA entered the season as the top two teams in the country. Ever since we saw the schedules, we’ve been gearing up for this 1 vs. 2 matchup. And we still have it, but translated. We once thought Oklahoma, the reigning champion, would be the No. 1 team, but instead, UCLA enters the game atop college softball. The flip-flop happened just last week when Oklahoma lost an unexpected game to Baylor. Jordy Bahl was in the circle and gave up a three-run bomb to give the Bears the lead. The Sooners tried to fight back from a 4-1 deficit, but ended up falling 4-3. Last season, it took 39 games for Oklahoma softball to lose its first game of the season. In 2023, it lasted just 10 days and nine games.

But of course, head coach Patty Gasso said soonersports.com recap of the game“What just happened is extremely valuable. What is valuable is the response, the recovery and the extra work that is being done to make us better. Our offense mixed things up and we definitely have to find a way to handle the pitchers to make the mix better.”

So a loss probably shouldn’t worry Sooners fans. Typically, losses come early and often in softball, but for Oklahoma this was odd. Also for UCLA considering the Bruins are currently undefeated on the season despite several ranked matchups. They even faced No. 3 Florida on Thursday at Mary Nutter and beat them 10-0 in five innings. To get even further, Megan Faraimo threw a no-hitter. UCLA head coach KellyInouye-Perez said Faraimo is up to the task this season. It is clear to all of us.

We will probably see Faraimo and Bahl in the circle. Oklahoma also has Alex Storako and Nicole May to work with. Both Faraimo and Bahl are dangerous two-way players. These are definitely two of the best pitching staffs in the country, and two of the best offensive lineups in the country on top of that.

Faraimo has had no shortage of run support so far this season. They have already scored 10 or more runs in four games. And this hasn’t been against weak competition, as the Bruins have defeated Alabama, Virginia Tech, Louisiana and Florida. The resume is very impressive. If Faraimo is on a mission, so is Maya Brady. The senior star is batting .575 so far on the season with five homers. Jordan Woolery and Savannah Pola are not too far behind.

The Sooners lost Jocelyn Alo this season, but freshman Jocelyn Erickson currently leads the team in average. In addition, Haley Lee, Rylie Boone and Grace Lyons have all hit .400 or better. Tiare Jennings is hitting .385 with one home run, which is pretty good normally. But we are talking D1softball No. 1 player in the nation. It’s possible he’ll start turning it up at any moment.

This is a top match between the two best teams in the country. Get ready for the good.