NORMAN — Patty Gasso, with her grandchild in her arms and along with co-captains Kinzie Hansen and Tiare Jennings, shuffled into the postgame media room inside Love’s Field on Sunday afternoon.

The Sooners had just endured a nonstop weekend full of festivities surrounding the opening of their stunning new $48 million stadium, the largest on-campus softball stadium in the country, and five games in three days. It’s easy to get caught up in the home runs, the records, the streaks and the glitz of the machine Gasso has created at OU, but at the end of the day, the trio — not unlike anyone else who would’ve gone through the same thing — was tired.

“We are human,” Gasso said.

Amid the No. 1 Sooners’ 71-game winning streak, which included Gasso’s players achieving superhuman feats at times and ended Sunday following a 7-5 loss to Louisiana in eight innings, it’s easy for some to forget this fact. The streak was going to be snapped at some point. It was a matter of when, not if.

Gasso said it herself. The Sooners (18-1) didn’t deserve to win. OU uncharacteristically played sloppy defense throughout, committing three or more errors in a game for the first time since June 2021. There were also running errors made by Gasso’s team, including in the third inning when Jayda Coleman was called out for leaving second base early and Hansen was picked off in the sixth.

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“From defense, to pitching, to timely hitting, we wasted a lot of time early in the game,” Gasso said. “This was a game we didn't deserve to win and we know how to come back. I know there's too much pride on this team for us to mope around over it, we're going to come back and be stronger. We've shown that and we're made like that.”

OU’s two fielding errors — one by Jennings at shortstop that led to Maddie Hayden reaching base and one by Hansen who dropped the ball during a tag at home, which led to a run scored by Mihyia Davis — ended up being the Sooners’ achilles heel.

On the other side, for Ragin’ Cajuns (10-12) coach Gerry Glasco and his team, Sunday was a day that will be etched in their minds forever.

“You’ve got to take a moment to just enjoy the success of your kids,” Glasco told The Oklahoman following the contest, “and then the beautiful environment at Oklahoma. That facility with a crowd all around was like being in an amphitheater.”

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Pitcher Chloe Riassetto threw a complete game, striking out three batters and allowing 11 hits and four earned runs. She tossed 136 pitches and earned her fourth win of the season against one of the best offensive teams in the country.

Riassetto and her team’s postgame party continued to their bus on the way out of  Norman, where she said she’ll never forget being the starter for the team that snapped the Sooners’ streak.

“It was great, everyone was so excited and I definitely think everyone’s confidence is really high right now,” Riassetto told The Oklahoman. “I was honestly just trying to stay calm, (all of their hitters) can hit and it’s a great team. … I think we’ll remember it forever.”

Gasso’s team didn’t go away quietly, battling back from down two runs in the seventh to send the game to the first extra innings of brief Love’s Field existence. Following a two-out RBI single by Jennings which scored Avery Hodge in the seventh inning, Riley Ludlam singled to right field, scoring Maya Bland after an error by Louisiana catcher Victoria Valdez, tying the game.

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Junior infielder Cydney Sanders also smashed a homer to left center field in the bottom half of the frame, but it ended up being all the damage OU mustered. Jennings led the Sooners with three hits, including a double and an RBI in the loss.

“I think it's just gonna make us even that much better,” Jennings said. “We knew that wasn't us on the field today. So … (we’ve just got to) keep working hard into conference with a bang and I mean, it is what it is. We just keep moving forward.”

Kelly Maxwell never found her groove in the circle on Sunday. The graduate transfer from Oklahoma State, who entered the contest with a 1.59 ERA, allowed a solo home run by Jourdyn Campbell in the top of the second inning, which opened up the scoring.

Maxwell settled in a bit in the third inning as she attacked the strike zone more aggressively before allowing two more runs and being replaced by Liberty graduate transfer Karlie Keeney in the top of the fourth. Maxwell allowed three earned runs and struck out four batters in 3⅔ innings of work, while Keeney finished with one earned run, two walks and a punchout.

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OU’s offense also started slow, recording just five hits and zero runs through three innings. Hansen woke up the Sooners’ bats with a two-run homer to right center field, scoring Ella Parker. Hansen, who opened Love’s Field with a bang as she smashed a walk-off home run on Friday, finished 2 for 3 with two RBIs.

Gasso admitted postgame her pitchers felt a wave of pressure this weekend. While the streak was an unbelievable ride, Gasso said she’s excited to let the streak go and focus on getting back to who her team is — a blue-collar grind-it-out squad.

As OU turns around and faces Texas A&M Commerce (5-16) at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Love’s Field on ESPN+, most would think Gasso and her players would be anxious to take the field for practice first thing Monday and prepare to get another win under their belt.

However, after the weekend they’ve had and the months of pressure they’ve experienced throughout the streak, they’re craving some much-needed rest.

“I can wait,” Gasso said, “because we’re tired. We all need to take a break and it’s no excuse, we flat-out got beat and we admit that 100%. There were just a lot of dramatics this weekend. … It’s like the World Series, is what it feels like down there, and I don’t know if we knew what to expect. So I think we know now and we’re ready to go just regroup.

“We need mental and physical rest.”

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU softball's NCAA-record 71-game win streak ends in loss vs Louisiana