| Softball |
|---|
| UCLA — 6 |
| Nebraska — 5 |
Senior pitcher Taylor Tinsley was in trouble.
Having just allowed back to back home runs in the bottom of the seventh, which shrunk the UCLA Bruins’ lead down to just one run, Tinsley worryingly issued two consecutive walks to place runners on first and second, all with nobody out.
After a strikeout followed by yet another walk, Tinsley pitted her team’s sliver of a lead against a No. 9 Nebraska team with the bases loaded and two outs to spare.
One flyout and one lineout later, the tension was erased.
No. 7 UCLA softball (29-4, 10-1 Big Ten) narrowly edged out Nebraska (25-6, 7-1 Big Ten) in a 6-5 victory on Saturday afternoon at Bowlin Stadium in Lincoln.
One night after the Huskers’ 4-1 win snapped the Bruins’ 22 game win streak and made up their first conference loss, UCLA returned the favor, evening the series and giving Nebraska their first Big Ten defeat of the season.
The Bruins earned the lead thanks to a big sixth inning that broke open a then 3-3 ball game, starting with redshirt freshman shortstop Aleena Garcia knocking a go-ahead RBI double to score freshman third baseman Bri Alejandre.
Two batters later, freshman center fielder Jolyna Lamar crushed a two-run homer over the center field wall, providing invaluable insurance in extending UCLA’s lead to 6-3.
After freshman starter Natalie Cable issued five walks in eight batters and allowed two runs in her first and only inning of work, Tinsley ruled the circle for the game’s remaining six innings, throwing 104 pitches in relief.
Senior first baseman Jordan Woolery kicked things off with a bang in the first inning, following singles from sophomore left fielder Rylee Slimp and senior right fielder Megan Grant with a three-run blast for an instant 3-0 UCLA lead.
While the Huskers’ hitless bottom of the first still produced two runs, the Bruins faced an even bigger scare when Grant, whose 23 home runs are good for second most in the NCAA, was hit in the hand by a pitch and subsequently removed from the game. She would fortunately return in the seventh inning.
Nebraska tied the game in the fifth inning after leadoff hitter and pitcher Jordy Frahm took Tinsley deep to left field, leveling the score at three runs apiece.
Protecting the lead in the seventh inning, Tinsley gave up a first homer to second baseman Lauren Camenzind, followed by even more heroics from Frahm, who mashed her second dinger of the day on top of pitching all seven innings with 131 pitches. Back against the wall, Tinsley escaped her jam to secure the Bruins’ return to the win column.
UCLA will complete its six game road trip and fight to win the series against Nebraska in its finale on Sunday, March 29 at 10:00 a.m. PST.
