:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/59203137/DSC_3499.1522341178.jpg)
UCLA Softball is coming off a home sweep of Oregon State, with the final victory coming just three days ago on Monday.
Senior Selina Ta’amilo pitched a complete game in the victory with nine strikeouts and eight hits and two wals while allowing five runs, three of them earned. The Bruins had eight hits from five different players, with half of the hits coming from freshmen.
The Bruins scored all seven of their runs in the first two innings, and the Beavers were never able to catch up. In the first, freshman Aaliyah Jordan brought home Briana and Kylee Perez with a single up the middle. UCLA loaded the bases to start the second after a fielding error by the Beavers put junior Paige Halstead on base, junior Zoe Shaw was walked, and freshman Kinsley Washington got the first of her two hits. Another fielding error by Oregon State and a second two-run single by Jordan made it 5-0, UCLA. The Bruins loaded the bases again, and sophomore Rachel Garcia added two more runs with a single to make it 7-0 UCLA.
Oregon State scored in the third, fourth, and seventh, but they were never able to close the gap completely. The final score was 7-5, UCLA, as the Bruins completed a sweep of the Beavers.
UCLA now takes on the Utah Utes at 5:00 PM PT this evening. Utah is coming off a huge 13-0 5-inning win over Stanford, when they slammed a pair of home runs in the first. Heather Bowen and Hailey Hilburn combined for nine of the 13 runs, and pitcher Miranda Viramontes got her first Pac-12 victory of the season.
While Utah is coming off a strong 2017 campaign, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament for a third-straight year and advancing to the NCAA Super Regional for a second-straight season, UCLA is still the stronger team. The Bruins are #1 in the country in batting average, while Utah is ranked 45th. Utah is 2-4 in conference play and 17-12 overall, and just doesn’t have the top-notch pitching that UCLA has been putting in the circle this year. This could easily be a road sweep for UCLA.
Go Bruins!