OKLAHOMA CITY —Ryan Chapman and John Hoover offer their real-time observations as the 2-seeded Oklahoma Sooners take on the 6-seeded UCLA Bruins at Devon Park, formerly USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium. Newest posts are at the top. Just keep the browser open and refresh often for Chapman and Hoover’s updates throughout this afternoon's contest.
4:30 p.m.
Kelly Maxwell does it, a perfect 1-2-3 seventh, finishing off Maya Brady's 0-for-4 day with a groundout to second base. Avery Hodge threw her out easily and the Sooners are on to Monday's bracket finale against the survivor of Alabama, Texas and Florida.
The Longhorns and Gators play a winner's bracket game coming up next.
Sooners win it 1-0.
4:23 p.m.
A little drama for Oklahoma in the sixth as Rylie Boone reaches on a two-out bunt and swiped second base and induced a throwing error that sent her to third base — all for naught as Avery Hodge whiffed for the third out as Boone was taking off for second base.
Sooners lead 1-0 and are now three outs away from the WCWS semifinals, also known as the catbird seat in this particular bracket. It's exactly where you want to be, coming back Monday with a Sunday off and still undefeated.
That Monday game is scheduled to start at 11 a.m.
— JH
4:13 p.m.
Give it up to Kelly Maxwell. Again. After giving up two more baserunners, she gets a fly ball for the second out and then strikes out pinch-hitter Ramsey Suarez to end the inning with a 63 mph rise ball.
That ties her season high for strikeouts at 10 when she fanned 10 Longhorns on April 5.
Oklahoma leads by the thinnest of margins, 1-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth.
— JH
4:07 p.m.
After her third walk, Kelly Maxwell gets a visit form Jen Rocha.
— JH
4:05 p.m.
UCLA’s second hit off Kelly Maxwell is an infield single behind second base that Avery Hodge just couldn’t get enough on. Bottom of the Bruins’ order coming up.
Maxwell’s work isn’t done yet — not by a long shot.
— JH
3:58 p.m.
Taylor Tinsley came in for Kaitlyn Terry that inning and set the Sooners down 1-2-3 easy. Right-hander brings a different angle and velocity, and her moment through the zone seemed to tie up Tiare Jennings and Alyssa Brito. Ella Parker had good contact, but another great defensive play at second base retired her.
— JH
3:52 p.m.
Just scrolled through.
Maya Brady has struck out three times in the same game twice before — both all the way back when she was a COVID freshman in 2021.
This year, she had only struck out multiple times in one game — twice against Stanford on April 19.
Incredible work from Maxwell today against the UCLA leadoff hitter.
— RC
3:51 p.m.
Boone chases down a fly ball to end the threat but it’s been some extremely clutch pitching by Maxwell — that time with a runner on second base and just one out — that has produced so many zeroes on the UCLA line score.
Impressive performance through five.
— JH
3:48 p.m.
Man, Maxwell has dominated Maya Brady today.
UCLA’s best has struck out swinging all three trips to the plate today. I can’t imagine that’s happened too many times throughout her career.
— RC
3:47 p.m.
Maxwell walks 9-hole hitter Janelle Meono to start the fifth inning, and Maya Brady comes to the plate with UCLA down 1-0.
The drama …
— JH
3:41 p.m.
If you're reading and watching from home, it's hot and steamy here in OKC. There seems to be an energy lull from both teams.
I sense another pivotal point in this game as OU leads 1-0 heading to the fifth.
— JH
3:29 p.m.
Kelly Maxwell brought some stability in the fourth after a hectic third inning.
She’s fired seven strikeouts today which is three short of her season-best (vs. Texas on April 5).
She’s halfway to her best mark ever at the WCWS when she fanned 14 Arizona batters on June 2, 2022.
— RC
3:16 p.m.
Everybody is chipping in to keep UCLA in this game.
Grant saved at least one run in the first inning, Meono kept Pickering from doubling off the top of the wall and Palacios almost made an incredible catch to get Hansen to pop out into foul territory.
The catch was overturned, but Hansen struck out anyways.
Oklahoma could easily have four runs, but the lead is just 1-0 headed into the fourth inning.
We are trending toward instant classic territory.
— RC
3:14 p.m.
UCLA center fielder nearly robbed Tiare Jennings’ home run, and that time she reached up and pulled back Kasidi Pickering’s almost-homer. What a player, and what a heady play by Alyssa Brito to get back to first base.
Now it’s an unbelievable catch of a pop foul behind home plate by Bruins catcher Sharlize Palacios.
Man they can play defense.
Play is under review ... and it's ruled a foul ball because it must have hit the wall.
— JH
3:08 p.m.
You just felt that disastrous inning for Oklahoma — which produced exactly zero runs for the Bruins — was a massive momentum shift. Certainly Tiare Jennings senses that too, and leads off the bottom of the third with a long home run to center field.
OU leads 1-0.
— JH
3:07 p.m.
I was just telling Hoov that wasting chances like UCLA did in the top of the third is exactly how you lose to Oklahoma.
One pitch later, Tiare Jennings put the Sooners on top.
She’s an animal. And only Jocelyn Alo has hit more home runs than her in Oklahoma history.
Oklahoma 1-0.
3:06 p.m.
So just to recap the top of the third… Hansen had a runner gunned but the ball was dropped, Maxwell issued a four-pitch walk on a batter just trying to bunt, Torres dropped an infield fly that caused her to get subbed out and allow runners to advance, yet UCLA plated no runs.
The Sooners missed an opportunity in the first inning, but it was the Bruins’ turn there in the third.
— RC
3:04 p.m.
And Maxwell responds with an overpowering strikeout of Sharlize Palacios for the final out.
What an odd inning.
Stay tuned. This is gonna be good.
— JH
3:01 p.m.
Wow. Popup on the infield with runners at first and second, so the batter is out, but both runners advance as Torres loses the ball in the sun and it hits her in the face/forehead area, breaks her glasses and ricochets into foul territory.
Ouch.
Avery Hodge now playing second base for Oklahoma.
— JH
3:00 p.m.
Significant strikeout there by Maxwell to set down Brady. Two on one out for the Bruins.
— JH
2:56 p.m.
Maxwell plunks UCLA’s 8-hole hitter to start the third, who then steals second as Kinzie Hansen’s throw comes up a bit short and isn’t corralled by Alynah Torres. Another walk sends Nicole May into the OU bullpen as All-American Maya Brady comes to the plate.
There’s something happening for the Bruins. Feels like a pivotal point in this game.
— JH
2:52 p.m.
Much better second inning for Terry, but she’s had to throw 45 pitches to get there.
Not sure UCLA will be too worried about that, though. Would imagine the plan is to turn to Tinsley in the fourth inning.
— JH
2:44 p.m.
UCLA pitcher Kaitlyn Terry came into today with a 21-1 record and an ERA of 2.34 in 176 2/3 innings pitched, with 156 strikeouts and 153 hits allowed.
Rylie Boone starts this inning off for Oklahoma hoping to turn over the lineup enough that the top of the order can see Terry again — very soon.
— JH
2:43 p.m.
If this is the Kelly Maxwell Oklahoma is going to get the rest of the WCWS, the Sooners will be lifting the trophy for a fourth-straight time next Thursday.
Twenty of her 27 pitches have been strikes and she’s fanned four of the first seven batters. UCLA has only barreled up one ball so far and it went straight to Sanders.
Adjustments coming the second time through the lineup, but Maxwell is dealing.
— RC
2:35 p.m.
Kaitlyn Terry played with fire in the first.
She got a great catch from right fielder Megan Grant to keep a run off the board, then struck out Hansen with the bases loaded.
Nothing there for OU, but Terry is not long for this game. The Sooners saw her really well from the jump.
— RC
2:34 p.m.
What a catch by UCLA right fielder Megan Grant to save at least one run and possibly two. Kaitlyn Terry still gives up a wild pitch to send runners to second and third, then walks Kasidi Pickering. Bases loaded, two out.
High drama in OKC.
— JH
2:24 p.m.
Oklahoma comes to the plate after one baserunner reaches in the top of the first (on an error). Sooners are looking to keep the offensive momentum they cooked up on Thursday when they hit three home runs.
— JH
2:19 p.m.
Kelly Maxwell may not have had her best stuff on Thursday against Duke.
She looks excellent today.
Maxwell struck out Brady and Allchin and almost made a really nice defensive play to get Palacios, but Cydney Sanders couldn’t corral the ball.
No issue for the OU ace, though, and she induced a groundout to get the Sooner bats headed to the plate. Great start.
— RC
2:00 p.m.
As is tradition with ABC, this game is actually going to get rolling at 2:15 p.m.
That's fine, the fans are still trickling in to the outfield. The staircases out there are tight so it takes some time to fill up. There was a nice buzz in the parking lot as everybody seems ready for this matchup to get going.
— RC
1:38 p.m.
We have lineups and I have to say, I am shocked.
UCLA is starting Kaitlyn Terry and Oklahoma is rolling with Kelly Maxwell. I surely thought we'd see May vs. Tinsley from the jump after May was held out of Thursday's win.
Everything else in OU's lineup is per usual, however. About 20 minutes from getting rolling here at Devon Park.
— RC
