UCLA softball opens NCAA regional with dominant win over UC Santa Barbara

Yahoo

17-05-2025

UCLA's Megan Grant (43) celebrates after hitting a home run to cap a 9-1 win in six innings over UC Santa Barbara in the Los Angeles Regional Friday at Easton Stadium. (Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times)
With UCLA's bats quiet early, Kaitlyn Terry stepped into the batter's box looking to ignite a two-out rally — and with one swing she brought the Bruins to life.
Terry, a right fielder and left-handed pitcher, hit a three-run home run in the second inning to jump start UCLA's 9-1 win over UC Santa Barbara in six innings in the opening round of the Los Angeles Regional on Friday.
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The No. 9 Bruins (49–10) advanced to Game 3 of the regional, where they'll face the winner of Arizona State and San Diego State at 2 p.m. PDT Saturday.
Before the season, coach Kelly Inouye-Perez stressed that a UCLA championship push had to start with securing a regional at Easton Stadium — and taking care of business once there.
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UCLA is chasing its ninth Women's College World Series berth in the past decade, but early on Friday, the path looked shaky. Instead of a confident march into the postseason opener, it felt like déjà vu for a moment — a flashback to the haunting 2023 regional, when the Bruins dropped their first game and ultimately fell short of a trip to Oklahoma City.
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The Bruins squandered early opportunities uncharacteristic of the nation's No. 2 run-scoring lineup.
Trailing in the second inning, Alexis Ramirez reached base on a hit up the middle, then stole second. After advancing on a ground out, she was caught in a rundown between third and home. Still, UCLA had a chance to even the score with runners on first and second, but Terry's flied out to end the inning.
Terry found herself in a similar situation two innings later, this time delivering.
With two outs in the fourth, Kaniya Bragg reached first on a hit-by-pitch. Batting for the first time this season, Taylor Stephens followed with a slow roller into right field — just soft enough for Bragg to beat the tag at third while Stephens stepped into second.
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On the next pitch, Terry crushed a home run to center field.
Taylor Tinsley, an All-Big Ten First Team selection, allowed three hits and one walk while striking out one. Her only blemish came in the second inning, when she gave up a run.
Her biggest challenge came in that frame, as a base hit and an error at third put runners on first and second with one out.
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After the Gauchos put runners on the corners in the second, UCSB catcher Delaina Ma'ae drove a fastball into right field for an RBI double.
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A pair of home runs in the sixth inning ended the game via the mercy rule. Jessica Clements hit a three-run home run. That was followed by a walk and steal from Savannah Pola, who was driven in by Jordan Woolery's RBI single. Megan Grant ended the game with a two-run homer to left-center field.
UCLA, which finished tied for second with Nebraska in its first season in the Big Ten, has won 26 games by mercy rule this season.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.