In a top-10 Big Ten showdown, the No. 6 UCLA Bruins dropped the first game of a crucial weekend series to the No. 5 Oregon Ducks, falling 3-1 at the Jane Sanders Stadium in Eugene. The game ended in a victory for Oregon because of many factors like timely hitting.
UCLA ace Taylor Tinsley took the circle and put up a strong game performance, with four hits and four strikeouts in six innings. Tinsley kept the Ducks off balance for three scoreless innings, before Oregon finally scored in the bottom of the fourth.
Rylee McCoy, a first baseman for Oregon, gave the Ducks a 1-0 lead with a solo shot to straightaway center with two outs in the fourth. Tinsley recovered to avoid more damage, but in the next inning, the Bruins’ offense was unable to take advantage of runners on base.
The Ducks added insurance runs in the sixth inning. Oregon’s lead was increased to 3-0 when leadoff batter Kedre Luschar took advantage of a missed location and smashed a two-run home run over the left field fence.
The Bruins didn’t go quietly, even though they were kept in check for the majority of the game. Jessica Clements, a graduate sensation, hit a solo home run to right field in the top of the seventh to reduce the lead to two. However, Oregon’s closer Elise Sokolsky recorded the final outs to secure the save, quickly putting an end to the rally.
Lyndsey Grein, the starter for Oregon, dominated the circle. She used a combination of riseballs and off-speed pitches to keep UCLA’s power batters off balance in her 5.1 shutout innings, striking out eight Bruins. Sokolsky pitched 1.2 innings of relief and earned the save.
UCLA is now 40-6 overall and 12-5 in Big Ten play as a result of the defeat. In their rematch on Saturday, the Bruins will try to rally and even the series with two games left.
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Featured Image Shortstop Kaniya Bragg up to bat. While she did not contribute to the Bruins offense, Bragg helped out the Bruins defense, notably making back to back outs in the bottom of the first. Photographed by Maia Salti/BruinLife.
