Alabama softball had its best chance of the game. Trailing 1-0 to UCLA in the fifth inning, the Crimson Tide loaded the bases in its first game of the Women’s College World Series, with just one out.

As the Bruins huddled around pitcher Taylor Tinsley in the circle and UA head coach Patrick Murphy consulted with freshman outfielder Lauren Johnson, Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” rang out through Devon Park in Oklahoma City.

If you had one shot or one opportunity / To seize everything you ever wanted in one moment / Would you capture it or just let it slip?

Johnson was first up at the plate. She worked Tinsley for a 3-0 count, before the sophomore Georgia native put one over the plate.

Facing 3-1, Johnson popped up for the second out. Up came Kenleigh Cahalan, who singled, bringing in a run to tie the game.

Kali Heivilin tried to give the Crimson Tide its first lead of the game, but the throw home was well ahead of her, holding the damage to a single run.

Then, in the bottom of the sixth, UCLA’s Jordan Woolery homered to left field, bringing in three runs. UCLA won 4-1, pushing Alabama to the brink of elimination.

“We have bases loaded and one out. We got one run,” Murphy said afterward. “They had bases loaded and two outs, they got a three-run home run. It’s a great game, then it breaks your heart the next second.”

As ESPN’s Beth Mowins noted on the broadcast of the Oklahoma-Duke game following Alabama’s loss, a Thursday defeat leaves a team with just a 6% chance of winning the WCWS. Tough sledding for the Tide, which must now win four consecutive games in order to advance past the double-elimination round.

It’s a difficult situation. But Murphy and his team aren’t ready to call it a season.

“We’ve been here before,” he said after the loss. “Our backs have been against the wall, so it’s no big deal. We’re going to fight like hell.”

It’s not the first time Alabama has been on the ropes. The Tide dropped its first super regional game against Tennessee in Knoxville last weekend.

Then, UA won a 14-inning battle in Game 2, the longest super regional ever. The Tide prevailed once again in Game 3, due to a first-inning grand slam from Riley Valentine, eliminating the No. 3 Lady Vols.

“We’ve been here before,” It allows us to play more free than we already are. Nobody thinks or thought that we were even going to get here. Here we are. At this point we’re just having fun. We’re ready to win. Come out tomorrow and go get ‘em.”

Besides the home run to Woolery, Alabama pitcher Kayla Beaver was excellent against the Bruins. The Crimson Tide’s ace allowed four hits in a complete game effort, tossing 68 pitches.

Beaver, a graduate transfer from Central Arkansas this season, is trying to extend her college career. The Tide will play the loser of the Oklahoma-Duke matchup at 6 p.m. CT Friday, with elimination on the line.

“We were in this situation last weekend,” Beaver said. “We came back the next day fighting. We know how to play with our backs against the wall. There’s a lot of stuff on the line. At the end of the day, the pressure is on them. Again, we weren’t even supposed to be here.

“Going off that, we can play free, enjoy the game, see what happens.”