Coach Kelly Inouye-Perez has long talked about “Bruin magic.”
And on the path to its eventual Women’s College World Series exit, No. 9 seed UCLA made its fair share of clutch moves when it mattered most.
Down to its last out against No. 8 seed South Carolina at the Columbia Super Regional, junior infielder Jordan Woolery sent a two-run walk-off homer over the wall at the Carolina Softball Stadium, keeping the Bruins alive in the series and forcing a game 3 they eventually won, clinching a record-breaking 33rd appearance at the WCWS.
But in Oklahoma City, that magic seemed to fade away and was replaced by errors, miscues and mental mistakes.
Against No. 16 seed Oregon in the top of the seventh inning, an obstruction call on redshirt sophomore catcher/utility Alexis Ramirez tied the game at two each, forcing a counter from the Bruins to stay in the winner’s bracket.
“I don’t agree with the call, period. I thought she was clearly out. So, with that being said, it is a rule that is interesting,” Inouye-Perez said. “It was obstruction, they called it obstruction, period.”
However, the magic appeared again – just for a second.
In the bottom of the seventh frame, graduate student outfielder Jessica Clements launched a two-run blast to the outfield, propelling the Bruins to their first – and only – victory at Devon Park this season.
But the magic was short-lived.
After falling 3-1 to No. 12 seed Texas Tech, UCLA went viral – although not necessarily under a positive spotlight.
In the fifth inning, Red Raiders infielder Makayla Garcia stole home, scoring the first run of the game. Blocked by the batter, Ramirez didn’t see Garcia sprinting home, instead returning the ball to junior pitcher Taylor Tinsley in the circle.
Freshman infielder/utility Kaniya Bragg called the play “unexpected,” while Inouye-Perez called it “gutsy.”
And while the Bruins tied the game later that inning off a home run from Bragg, they wouldn’t score again, losing 3-1.
“We just flushed it down and forget about it, that way we can find a way to get the momentum back,” Bragg said. “We know that whatever is put in front of us, we can do something to get it back.”
The elusive “commentator’s curse” also reared its ugly head in UCLA’s matchup against Texas Tech, as senior utility Savannah Pola recorded her first error of the entire season just minutes after ESPN’s announcing team drew attention to the fact she hadn’t committed one all season.
And in the final stretch of UCLA’s season came perhaps the biggest drama of them all – a 13-minute review that ended with the umpire declaring the play unreviewable, saving the Bruins and junior utility Megan Grant from a devastating end to their season.
The play in question? A game-tying two-run home run from Grant with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, when Grant missed stepping on home plate until Ramirez – the on-deck batter – pulled her back to score.
“The delay is something that I’ve never experienced,” Inouye-Perez said. “My mind was spinning too on how this would be devastating to have that happen. So, it was a long one, that’s it.”
What could have been one of the ugliest finishes to a team’s season – similar to how Team USA fell in the Tokyo Olympics – remained a clutch and potentially season-saving moment.
“It was a blackout moment. I know going into that at-bat I just wanted to keep my mind right and stay aggressive,” Grant said. “Honestly, after the swing, I did black out indeed, and after the fact, I kind of just trusted God with everything. The tensions were high, and that’s just where I laid my pressure on.”
But when she didn’t touch home plate, instead stepping over it as the celebrations ensued, UCLA’s postseason was in the hands of the umpires. While Ramirez pulled her back to step on the plate – having caught Grant’s slipup – there were questions about whether Ramirez, as the player next up in the order, was allowed to have pulled her back.
It was all for naught when the umpires, citing Appendix G – a surefire new meme in the softball fan lexicon – upheld the original call on the field.
The umpires’ ruling only delayed what turned out to be the inevitable, and UCLA’s season officially ended in the ninth inning when Tennessee walked it off with a single into left field.
While their mistakes and errors never directly cost them a game, they seemed to follow the Bruins throughout their tournament run in Oklahoma City.
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