UCLA players stay loose on eve of elimination game at Women’s College World Series

UCLA softball players snapped selfies, raced through the outfield and lobbed jokes at one another Friday during a workout at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark.

It was exactly what Coach Kelly Inouye-Perez wanted to see from her team during the hourlong session. The Bruins were loose and having fun.

The scene was a far cry from what Inouye-Perez witnessed Thursday, when UCLA dropped an opener to Auburn, 10-3, at the Women’s College World Series.

The Bruins (40-15-1) gave up five runs in the first inning. Pitchers Selina Ta’amilo and Paige McDuffee each hit two batters and the defense fell on its heels, making three errors.

Six of Auburn’s 10 runs were unearned.

“I wanted to be able to keep it light today,” Inouye-Perez said after practice. “We looked back as a group [after the game] and said simply, ‘Wow, that’s not who we are.’

“We all realized that we just didn’t play our game and we were all pressing just a little bit too much.”

UCLA must face Florida State, which lost an opener to Georgia, in an elimination game Saturday.

“We are a team that really knows how to bounce back and I think as long as we keep doing what we’ve done all season, we will be OK,” said second baseman Kylee Perez.

UCLA fell to Florida State (53-9) at the end of a four-game losing streak in March. The Bruins managed only one hit while making three errors.

“I am excited about where we are now because we are a completely different team from whenever it was we last played them,” Inouye-Perez said.

The Bruins must win three games to advance to a best-of-three championship series.

In the circle

UCLA is making a second-consecutive appearance in the World Series, but a lack of experience contributed to the pitching staff’s struggles.

Last season the Bruins almost solely relied on the arm of senior Ally Carda, a two-time Pac-12 player of the year.

Ta’amilo combined to pitch one complete inning in the World Series, while Johanna Grauer pitched 1/3 of an inning. McDuffee redshirted because of an injury.

Inouye-Perez acknowledged that nerves affected their opening-game performances.

“[Thursday] was a perfect example of nerves, of the newness,” Inouye-Perez said. “I don’t like to highlight it but it’s a fact. It’s being able to get in there and have the experience to be on the College World Series stage for the first time.”

Ta’amilo expressed relief Friday to move on from the loss.

“I was a little nervous being on the big stage, but that was just me not executing and not getting ahead for my team,” said Ta’amilo, who hit two batters and gave up a hit, a walk and was charged with four runs in 1/3 of an inning. “I take it as totally just an experience. Now I am looking forward to tomorrow.”

Inouye-Perez said she has not determined who will start Saturday.

Bounce-back ability

UCLA is no stranger to comebacks.

The Bruins have come from behind in 17 victories this season.

Last weekend they dropped an opener in a Super Regional to Oregon, the Pac-12 Conference champion, before coming back to win the next two games in the best-of-three series to advance to the World Series.

Inouye-Perez said they can rely on those experiences in Saturday’s must-win game. “When your back is against the wall, there is no option,” she said.