Patty Gasso and the Oklahoma Sooners are looking to grab a national championship three-peat in Oklahoma City, and the team is firing on all cylinders heading into the Women’s College World Series. OU didn’t allow a single run in the Norman Regional, and the Arkansas Razorbacks weren’t able to put up much of a fight against this group at the Norman Super Regional, either. With a 55-3 record, a batting order that can hit for power from 1 through 9, and the pitching duo of Paige Parker and Paige Lowary, these girls seem primed to continue the dynasty. If you don’t have tickets, here’s how you can catch the action in OKC. Also, this comment section below will serve as the thread for all of the WCWS action, so go ahead and give us your thoughts on everything as it unfolds! Schedule & TV Thursday, May 31 Game 1 : Oregon vs. Arizona State | 11 a.m. CT | ESPN Oregon wins, 11-6 Game 2 : Oklahoma vs. Washington | 1:30 p.m. | ESPN Washington wins, 2-0 Game 3 : Florida vs. Georgia | 6 p.m. | ESPN2 Florida wins, 11-3 Game 4 : UCLA vs. Florida State | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN2 UCLA wins, 7-4 Friday, June 1 Game 5: Oregon vs. Washington | 6 p.m. CT | ESPN Washington wins, 6-2 Game 6: Florida vs. UCLA | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN UCLA wins. 6-5 Saturday, June 2 Game 7 (elimination game): Oklahoma 1 vs. Arizona State | 11 a.m. CT | ESPN Game 8 (elimination game): Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4 | 1:30 p.m. | ESPN Game 9 (elimination game): Loser Game 6 vs. Winner Game 7 | 6 p.m. | ESPN Game 10 (elimination game): Loser Game 5 vs. Winner Game 8 | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN Sunday, June 3 Game 11: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 9 | 12 p.m. CT | ESPN Game 12: Winner Game 6 vs. Winner Game 10 | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN Game 13 (if necessary): 6 p.m. | ESPN Game 14 (if necessary): 8:30 p.m. | ESPN Women’s College World Series Finals (Best of 3) Monday, June 4 Game 1: 6 p.m. | ESPN Tuesday, June 5 Game 2: 7 p.m. | ESPN Wednesday, June 6 Game 3 (if necessary): 7 p.m. | ESPN Printable Bracket Live Stream: WatchESPN Live Stats: https://www.ncaa.com/scoreboard/softball/d1<doc-sep>The No. 4 seeded Oklahoma Sooners are still alive after eliminating the No. 2 seeded Florida 2-0 from the WCWS. Unlike Game 1 of last season’s epic championship series between OU and UF, the Gators couldn’t stretch this one for 17 innings, and now the Sooners advance, setting up an enourmous rematch with the Washington Huskies. The #Sooners are moving on to Sunday!! Oklahoma defeats No. 2seed Florida to advance in the WCWS! #Believe #ChampionshipMindset pic.twitter.com/K29snhZelZ — Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) June 3, 2018 Ace pitcher Paige Parker got the start in the circle once again in the second game of Saturday’s double-header. As she has been throughout her career, Parker was phenomenal, throwing for eight strikeouts and giving up only two hits in a complete game performance. Oklahoma’s Jocelyn Alo, the nation’s leader in home runs, extended her count to 30 dingers on the year, tying the NCAA Division 1 all-time freshman mark for most homers in a single season. With this SOLO SHOT, @OU_Softball's Jocelyn Alo ties the NCAA DI freshman single season home run record with her 30th! #WCWS pic.twitter.com/eoFR29yi17 — NCAA Softball (@NCAAsoftball) June 2, 2018 The rematch of last year’s WCWS Championship Series started with a bang. With one out in the bottom of the first inning, Alo smacked a Kelly Barnhill pitch just inside the left field corner, putting Oklahoma up 1-0 right out of the gate. In the bottom of the fifth, after a Caleigh Clifton walk and two outs, Sydney Romero singled to third followed by an intentional walk for Alo. With the bases loaded, Shay Knighten struck out swinging, but reached first on a wild pitch, bringing in another Sooner run. Oklahoma extended its lead to 2-0, and that would prove to be the final margin of the game. Up next, the Oklahoma Sooners have earned themselves a rematch against the No. 5 seeded Washington Huskies Sunday at 12 p.m. on ESPN. UW defeated OU 2-0 on Thursday, but the two-time reigning champs have a chance for redemption against the same team that put them in the loser’s bracket. Oklahoma will have to defeat Washington twice in order to advance to the WCWS Championship. Follow Crimson & Cream Machine on Twitter!<doc-sep>
The Oklahoma Sooners came into the Women’s College World Series on an absolute tear, but Washington pitcher Gabbie Plain brought the team back down to earth with a fantastic performance. Oklahoma fell, 2-0, and will now have to play its way out of the loser’s bracket. Final score from OKC. Pitchers' duel narrowly falls Washington's way. #Sooners back in action on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT against Arizona State. pic.twitter.com/7pzZAnDAB5 — Oklahoma Softball (@OU_Softball) May 31, 2018 The first four innings were a pitcher’s dual between Paige Parker and Washington’s Plain, who combined to allow only five hits through the first four innings. However, Parker was pulled in favor of Paige Lowary in the top of the 5th following a walk, and the Sooners proceeded to allow a pair of runs on two hits and an error. The less-than-stellar defensive play in the inning was uncharacteristic for OU, and it ended up costing them in the end. Washington threatened once again in the top of the sixth by loading the bases, but Parker was called back in to keep OU in the game. She did just that, and she capped it off with a heady play to quickly flip the ball to Leah Wodach and get the force at home. A big two-out rally nearly resulted in some runs in the bottom of the sith, but it wasn’t meant to be. After singles from Sydney Romero and Jocelyn Alo, Shay Knighten flared one to right and forced Trysten Melhart to make a diving catch. Whether she actually made that catch or not has been the subject of debate since it occurred. To me, it looked like she had control long enough to constitute a catch, but not everyone agrees with that. Regardless, it was a dagger to the Sooners’ heart as they desperately tried to get something going. OU then had another two-out rally going in the bottom of the 7th, but Lundberg struck out swinging to end it with two on base. Oklahoma will play Arizona State at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday and will try to keep the dream of a three-peat alive.