| Softball |
|---|
| UCF — 1 |
| UCLA — 9 |
For four innings Friday night at Easton Stadium, UCLA looked locked in a tight battle with UCF. Then, sophomore second baseman Kaniya Bragg came to the plate with two runners on, and the game broke open.
No. 8-ranked UCLA softball (51-8, 20-4 Big Ten) defeated UCF (41-17-1, 14-9-1 Big 12) 9-1 in five innings in Game 1 of the NCAA Los Angeles Super Regional, taking a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series.
Three home runs (including a pair of three-run shots during a six-run fifth inning) helped extend the program’s NCAA single-season record to 196 homers. The victory also marked its 29th run-rule win of the season, setting a new school record.
The Bruins struck first in the bottom of the second inning when freshman third baseman Bri Alejandre launched a solo home run to center on the first pitch she saw. Her 23rd homer of the season tied the Big Ten freshman home run record.
UCLA added two more runs in the fourth inning, capitalizing on a shaky stretch from UCF’s pitching team.
A walk and a hit batter put two runners on before junior catcher Alexis Ramirez moved them over with a sacrifice bunt. Junior designated player Soo-Jin Berry then brought one home on a groundout, and junior pinch hitter Ramsey Suarez hit a two-run double down the left field line to make it 3-0.
UCF got one back in the top of the fifth on a leadoff home run, and it felt, briefly, like the Knights might have some life.
They didn’t.
The Knights’ relief pitcher hit the first two Bruins she faced in the bottom of the fifth on consecutive pitches, putting redshirt freshman shortstop Aleena Garcia and Alejandre on base. Bragg then launched her 18th home run of the year into the left field seats. This three-run shot sent the crowd into a frenzy and pushed the lead to 6-1.
A Berry infield single chased the pitcher, and after another walk loaded the bases, sophomore left fielder Rylee Slimp stepped in.
Slimp, who leads the nation with 94 runs scored this season, didn’t miss. Her three-run home run to right (her 16th of the year) ended the game right there and then.
“All I was trying to do in that moment was pass the bat to Meg and Jo,” Slimp said, referring to senior right fielder Megan Grant and senior first baseman Jordan Woolery dubbed the “Bruin Bombers.” “But it’s also really cool to end the game, especially for Tins, who’s working so hard for us.”
While the offense did what it always does, senior pitcher Taylor Tinsley was the steady hand that kept UCLA in control from the first pitch. Tinsley went the distance, allowing just three hits and one earned run while striking out two. She picked up her 31st win of the season, second-most in the country, and her 23rd complete game of the year.
“Taylor is a fierce competitor,” head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez said. “It didn’t start the way we wanted, but it’s never about how you start; it’s how you finish.”
Game 2 of the series is Saturday at 7 p.m. PT, with UCLA one win away from its third straight Women’s College World Series appearance.
