If this game could be described in one word.
Historic.
That’s right, the Bruins made history on the field.
The No. 9 UCLA (41-5, 16-2 Big Ten) softball team hosted its longtime West Coast California rival (13-33, 3-15 Big Ten) in a doubleheader during the Jackie Robinson and Black excellence game. The first 200 in the crowd were gifted a ’42 hat in honor of Jackie Robinson. The stands easily surpassed 200 fans.
The stands were packed and crowds blazed with excitement over the rivalry games.
Game 1:
| Softball |
|---|
| California — 5 |
| UCLA — 13 |
Speaking of blazing — UCLA was fast with the ball during the first inning.
The Bruins (40-5) were quick to receive the ball before the Golden Bears (13-32) could, which resulted in a quick switch to the bottom of the first. First at bat, sophomore left fielder Rylee Slimp advanced to first after getting hit by a pitch. Senior right fielder Megan Grant flied out to center field to give Slimp a chance to advance to second. Next on the lineup, senior first baseman Jordan Woolery singled to left center and Slimp moved to third.
The game kept moving. Woolery moved up to second on a wild pitch, sophomore second baseman Kaniya Bragg walked to first, and redshirt junior designated player Alexis Ramirez grounded to shortstop to push Slimp home.
Keeping up with what was started, freshman center fielder Jolyna Lamar hit the first home run of the day. Moments after, Slimp singled to the right side and Grant walked to help push Slimp to second. Woolery hit the Bruins’ second home run to add three more runs to the score.
“All my credit goes to everyone else,” said Woolery, “They get on base, and they give me the opportunities to be there. I give a lot of credit to them, especially Slimp and Megan. This year, they do a great job. They’re both hitting like 500 and on base percentage like a million. I think it’s easy for me to do my job if they’re on base.”
Cal struggled to maintain the pace. Grant walked to first. Redshirt junior and pinch runner Rylee Pinedo ran for Grant in the bottom of the fourth. Shortly after, Woolery hit her second home run and Pinedo ran home. The Bruins were setting a tough boundary to break.
Though the boundary was tough, Cal fought hard to break it during the final inning. Golden Bear Anaya Togia hit a single to left center and scored after both a walk and a double hit. Right after, a second double was hit to center field while third and second bases were loaded, which added two more runs. Not long after, a home run was hit with two bases loaded. The Golden Bears slammed their way up five runs.
Five runs did not stop UCLA for a second. The Bruins matched five additional runs to bring the total of 13-5 to end the first game at the bottom of the fifth inning.
Game 2:
| Softball |
|---|
| California — 1 |
| UCLA — 9 |
Straight into the bottom of the first inning, UCLA blew the crowd away. Slimp homered straight to center field. Not long after, Grant doubled to left center. To add to her collection, Woolery hit her third home run of the day and pushed Grant home to bring in two more runs.
Bragg reached first on a fielder’s error before advancing to second after Ramirez was hit by a pitch. Redshirt freshman shortstop Aleena Garcia walked to first to help fill all three bases. Moments after, freshman third baseman Bri Alejandre flied out to right field and Bragg scored. The Bruins brought in four runs just in that first inning.
Cal hit a home run in the top of the third inning. However, UCLA created enough dust on the field to keep the Golden Bears there. Straight into the bottom of the third, Woolery hit yet another home run to right field. Shortly after, Bragg singled to the middle before running home after Ramirez hit a home run.
Matching with one another, Alejandre added another home run for the Bruins. In fast movement, Grant hit another home run in the bottom of the fourth. The score sat at a total of 9-1. The final play ended with California to strike out while swinging in the fifth inning.
The Bruins won 13-5 and 9-1 against their longtime rivals from the West Coast. Already flooding with excitement, Bruins Grant, Woolery and senior pitcher Taylor Tinsley were each awarded the Athletes Unlimited Softball League Golden Tickets.
“That’s a dream that I’ve had since I was so little,” said Tinsley, “I wanted to play softball until I couldn’t anymore. So getting the opportunity to play with the USL, since it’s so new and to be a part of history, is awesome.”
The three awarded tickets marked the most tickets given by the league in history. Grant, Woolery and Tinsley are the first Bruins to receive the golden tickets. The three Bruins look forward to a guaranteed draft selection into the league.
“I was surprised to hear my name called first,” said Grant, “I’m still in shock about it, and I’m just so happy with Jordan and Tins for them to be able to get the golden ticket. It just made today that much more special.”
The Bruins will continue moving forward with their excitement next Friday, April 24, 7:00 p.m. PST against Washington in Seattle.
