OKLAHOMA CITY — It was mostly smiles for the Sooners following their 1-0 win over UCLA Saturday at the Women's College World Series.
However, there was a tough moment in the top of the third inning.
UCLA's Jadelyn Allchin hit an infield pop fly near Alynah Torres, who attempted to track the ball in the air. But Torres appeared to lose the ball in the sun, and she was hit in the face before the ball fell to the ground.
Torres remained on the ground before eventually heading to the dugout. She didn't return to the game and was replaced by Avery Hodge at second base.
After the game, Gasso provided an update.
"She got (hit) pretty good," Gasso said. "Definitely could not go back in the game. She's getting medical attention from our great doctors. We'll see if she'll be available... We have the day off (tomorrow). That's very needed for her. It's very needed for us, as well. Hopefully she can get back in, but I'm not sure yet."
It appears Torres' status is up in the air for Monday's semifinal, which is scheduled for 11 a.m.
Shortly after Torres exited from the game, Tiare Jennings hit a pivotal solo home run in the bottom of the frame.
"Tiare, what was really cool, when Alynah got hit in the eye and we knew she was going to be out, Tiare comes up right after that happened, hits the ball out," Gasso said. "Those are memories. Now this become life, right? When you gather up together in 10 years, you're going to talk about those things. That's what it's cool, it's more than just winning and losing."
Notes
— So far, the Sooners have taken the easy route at the WCWS.
They beat Duke 9-1 in Thursday's first-round matchup, giving them a day off on Friday. With their 1-0 win over UCLA, the Sooners will have Sunday to rest before preparing for Monday's game.
Gasso said these days off are huge for the Sooners.
"I will speak on behalf of them. It is great to have a day off," Gasso said. "For me, I want to just keep playing and be done. Just the waiting around is not my favorite thing. But they need the rest. I think any coach will tell you it's a different world now, it really is. It's a different world of softball. It is intense. The stakes are different. Everything feels different. It's hard to breathe sometimes.
"I know the athletes feel that. That student welfare is what I care about. I want them to be healthy, rested and I want them to feel safe, that we're not just get out there and keep going. You got to pay closer attention to this generation because they have a lot of needs, and rightly so."
— Kelly Maxwell was sensational in the Sooners' win over the Bruins, throwing 11 strikeouts while surrendering just hits in seven innings.
It was a big bounce-back win for Maxwell, who had struggled on Thursday against Duke and in last weekend's Super Regional matchup with Florida State. In 8.2 innings across those two games, Maxwell surrendered five hits, four runs and walked 10 batters.
But Gasso said she had no hesitation to play Maxwell against the Bruins.
"We always look at matchups," Gasso said. "I'm going to tell you our other pitchers are doing such a great job of sticking with us. They all want it. I think it's very important after the conversation that I had with Kelly (this morning) that we see how this plays out because we need her at another level with the rest of our pitchers.
"Maybe it was a little bit selfish, but I know now that she knows what she can do, and that will open up the door for everybody else here, as well. That was a lot to do with it."
— With Jennings' home run, she surpassed Lauren Chamberlain for the third most home runs in NCAA history with 96. She also has nine home runs at the WCWS, which is second behind Jocelyn Alo (12).
She has 30 RBIs at the WCWS, the most of any player.
