Bathed in the Los Angeles golden hour, No.8 UCLA wasted no time seizing control, scoring seven runs in the first four innings to cruise past Washington and extend their win streak to 11. The Bruins offense came out of the dugout smoking, hitting two consecutive bombs in the first inning to crush the Huskies spirit right from the start.
On Saturday evening, UCLA (39-5, 11-1 Big Ten) defeated Washington (29-11, 7-4 Big Ten) with a clear-cut 7-2 victory, taking the second game of a three-game series at Easton Stadium. The runaway win can be attributed to an all-around excellent offensive performance from the Bruins and a lights-out showing from Taylor Tinsley (10-2) on the mound, who pitched a complete game with eleven strikeouts while allowing only two earned runs.
By the end of the first inning, it was obvious this would be a long night for the Huskies. In the first at-bat for UCLA, outfielder Jessica Clements singled to center and then stole second on the next pitch. This was followed by a walk given to Savannah Pola, which opened the door for a three-run moonshot to left center from Jordan Woolery.
Subsequently, first baseman Megan Grant hit a solo dinger to right field giving UCLA an extremely early 4-0 lead before Washington had even recorded their first out. Grant leads the Bruins in total home runs and her brilliance was further illustrated in tonight’s match as she finished with two hits, two runs, an RBI and a home run.
The Bruins continued to keep their foot on the gas as outfielder Rylee Slimp launched a two run double to left center in the bottom of the third. On top of that, in the bottom of the fourth, Pola hit an RBI single to right center that gave UCLA an authoritative 7-0 lead.
Through it all, Tinsley was locking down the Huskies as she had only given up one hit over the first four innings. Nonetheless, Sophi Mazzola displayed resilience in the top of the fifth by blasting a two run homer to left that gave Washington a small sliver of hope.
However, it was not enough as Tinsley closed out the rest of the match by not giving up another hit, securing the 7-2 win for UCLA. The Bruins and Huskies will meet again on Sunday at noon where UCLA will look to complete the series sweep and possibly secure the top seed in the Big Ten.
—
Featured Image Photographed by Julia Gu/BruinLife.
