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The #3 Bruins return to Cathedral City this weekend to play in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic II for five more games. As UCLA heads back, they remain undefeated on the season. The Bruins are now 10-0.
Tonight, they will play a doubleheader. In the first game, UCLA will face the #23 Nebraska Cornhuskers. Later, they will play the Liberty Lady Flames. If the head coach of the Lady Flames looks familiar, it’s because the Lady Flames are coached by Bruin legend Dr. Dot Richardson.
Richardson is in her fifth season coaching Liberty. She has improved the Lady Flames’ win total each season she has coached them. Last season, they finished 46-24 and won the Big South regular season title, but lost to Longwood in the conference final.
When the Bruins and Lady Flames met at the Nutter Classic last season, the Bruins won 7-1.
But, before the Bruins play the Lady Flames, they’ve got to deal with the #23 Nebraska Cornhuskers. The Huskers are 9-3 so far this year with wins over BYU, Utah, San Diego State, Georgia Tech and Texas A&M. They’ve lost games to Arizona State and Mississippi State while splitting a pair of games against Boston College.
The key for the Bruins against the Huskers is to contain sophomore utility player Tristen Edwards. Edwards is batting .425 with 3 doubles, 2 home runs, 12 RBIs and 9 runs scored. She leads the team in all five categories.
On Monday, the Bruins wrapped up play in the first weekend of the Nutter Classic with a 7-6 win over GCU. After giving up a run in the top of the first, UCLA scored three runs in the bottom of the inning when Aaliyah Jordan doubled to score both Perez sisters and Bubba Nickles drove Jordan in on a hit to center.
In the top of the second, the Antelopes scored three more runs off starter Selina Ta’amilo and one off Johanna Grauer in relief, but the Bruins added four more in the bottom of the inning, two of which came on a homer by Jordan. That gave UCLA a 7-5 lead, which proved to be enough as GCU would add a run in the fifth, but that was the best they could do and UCLA won 7-6.
This is your UCLA Softball doubleheader open thread.
Go Bruins!!!