Less than 24 hours later and it was as if a whole different team was on the field.
And the Westwood squad was ready to go the distance this time.
No. 8 seed UCLA softball (49-8, 20-4 Big Ten) beat South Carolina (31-26, 7-17 SEC) 7-2 in the Los Angeles regional Saturday afternoon. UCLA will continue its NCAA tournament campaign Sunday afternoon against South Carolina, Cal State Fullerton or Cal Baptist.
Both teams went three up, three down in the first inning. And after a Gamecocks home run and a fielding error, the Bruins regained control and ended the top of the inning, led by senior pitcher Taylor Tinsley’s two strikeouts.
“She’s (Tinsley) an elite athlete,” said coach Kelly Inouye-Perez. “She doesn’t rely on trying to throw the ball 70 miles per hour. She breaks the ball up, down, change, she has every pitch. She has a skill in her ability to spin the ball, so with that, spinners can go a lot longer, and (with) less wear and tear. All the work that she put in in the offseason, in summer and fall, she’s in the best shape of her life.”
Then, the Bruin magic began.
Redshirt freshman infielder Aleena Garcia drew a walk, and freshman infielder Bri Alejandre subsequently plated her with a two-run home run. With a hard driven hit, sophomore infielder Kaniya Bragg reached first, prompting a South Carolina pitching change.
But it was not enough to halt a lineup that boasts the highest on-base and slugging percentages in the nation, with .496 and .836 clips, respectively.
Redshirt junior catcher Alexis Ramirez passed the bat to junior utility Soo-Jin Berry after a double down the third base line helped Alejandre advance to third. Berry followed it up with a double to plate two and put the Bruins up 4-1.
“We’re process-oriented,” Berry said. “I wasn’t getting a lot of outcome in the beginning of the season, but knowing I can show up for my teammates in whatever way possible, that’s been what’s been driving me to be as successful as I am right now. I was playing for my team”
The Gamecocks managed to slow the Bruin lineup’s onslaught, striking out freshman utility Jolyna Lamar and tagging out sophomore outfielder Riley Slimp at first, but not before Berry reached scoring position at third base.
Enter the first half of the Bruin Bombers.
Senior utility Megan Grant blasted an out-of-the-park hit to put two more runs on the board, mounting a 6-1 lead.
But a team often cannot rely on heavy hitters alone.
After last night’s game, where the Bruins allowed 10 runs in a single inning, the defense – alongside Tinsley – controlled today’s outing.
“In the post season, one of the most important things that you can do is have a short-term memory,” Inouye-Perez said. “I couldn’t be more proud of how Taylor came out today and played her game. Every day is a new game, but the ability to bounce back is something that is really impressive.”
Tinsley allowed two earned runs and seven hits across 99 pitches. She also struck out six hitters across her complete game. Her teammates in both the infield and outfield supported her, completing a double play to end the fourth, with Alejandre tagging out a runner at third after a hesitant sac-fly attempt caught the South Carolina baserunner drifting too far from third base.
Even with six strikeouts from South Carolina relief pitcher Emma Friedel, UCLA got on base a few more times, but the squad’s final run came from Garcia, who knocked one over the back wall in the bottom of the fifth.
The Bruins will play again tomorrow afternoon for the chance to clinch a super regional berth for the third straight season.
“I love softball, I love playing, so anytime that I get the opportunity to have the ball in my hand, I’m really excited,” Tinsley said. “Our team is focused on having fun, and I just have fun with it. I love pitching, and I wouldn’t trade anything for this opportunity.”
