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#13 UCLA Softball (25-8, 1-3)
Opponent: #8 Washington (26-7, 3-4)
When: 4:00 PM PT, Saturday, April 1, 2017
Where: Husky Softball Stadium, Seattle, WA
Audio: None
Video: Pac-12 Network
Live Stats: Washington Huskies StatBroadcast
Official Game Preview | Game Notes
No foolin' with the weather today Mother Nature. We have some softball to play.
— UCLA Softball (@UCLASoftball) April 1, 2017
TV: @Pac12Network
Stats: https://t.co/pZSjvFmaJD#GoBruins pic.twitter.com/1e3fs5LvCy
The Bruins played outstanding softball on day 1 of their northwest road trip, beating #8 Washington 6-2. Rachel Garcia went the distance for UCLA, limiting the Huskies to five hits and one earned run over seven innings.
Fortunately, the Bruins' hitting woes seem to be over, finally. UCLA hammered out ten hits, and unusually, a number of clutch hits that led to six runs. Most importantly, the Bruins scored early, tallying runs in both the first and second innings.
Garcia helped her own cause with a pair of hits, including a two-run home run to give the Bruins a late cushion. Kylee Perez and Paige Halstead each had two hits, and seven of the nine Bruin batters tallied a hit.
Check out the game highlights (courtesy of the Pac-12 Network):
BRUINS WIN!!!! #13 UCLA 6, #8 Washington 2. Rachel Garcia strikes out six and also hits a two-out homer. #GoBruins pic.twitter.com/0jhF6huGVy
— UCLA Softball (@UCLASoftball) April 1, 2017
Weather permitting, the Bruins and Huskies will be back in action this afternoon for game 2 of the three-game series. Johanna Grauer will likely be UCLA's starter, although it's still not entirely clear how Coach Inouye-Perez plans to use her pitching staff this season.
Although UCLA snared its first Pac-12 win of 2017 yesterday, the Bruins still have plenty of work to do to catch Arizona and Oregon at the top of the conference standings. The Wildcats and Ducks both won yesterday, so the victory over Washington merely allowed the Bruins to keep pace with the league leaders while lifting themselves out of the cellar. That means that UCLA has to keep winning and hope for some help from conference foes. A second victory over the Huskies would be another step in the right direction.
Go BRUINS!