Mercy! Mercy! UCLA Softball Cruises Past Nebraska & Kentucky; Plays CSU Today

UCLA used a pair of mercy rule wins yesterday to stay undefeated heading into their final game at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Cathedral City, CA this afternoon at 2 pm PT.

Last Time Out

The Bruins remain undefeated after using the mercy rule to sweep both games of yesterday’s doubleheader.

In game one against Nebraska, the Bruins got their bats going early. Bubba Nickles hit a one-out double to left. After Aaliyah Jordan flew out to left, Rachel Garcia homered to left-center for UCLA’s first two runs of the game. In the bottom of the second, UCLA use small ball to add four insurance runs to take a 6-0 lead.

Nebraska scored their only run of the game on a homer to left in the top of the third. but, in the bottom of the inning, UCLA kept bashing the ball. Briana Perez hit a two-run double down the right field line that made it 8-1, Bruins.

Needing one run to end the game, the Bruins came up in the bottom of the sixth and both Nickles and Jordan singled to start the inning. With one out, Taylor Pack RBI double scored Nickles and the game was over with a 9-1 Bruin win.

Holly Azevedo pitched all six innings and allowed just one run on three hits and two walks while striking out five for her fourth win of the season.

The second game was a little tougher. Megan Faraimo started in the circle for UCLA, but she got into trouble. After a lead-off homer, Kentucky had runners on first and third and no outs when Kelly Inouye-Perez decided to bring in Rachel Garcia. She got the first batter to hit a sacrifice fly that scored the Wildcats’ second run, but she got out of the jam with the Bruins down just 2-0.

In the bottom half of the inning, Jordan hit an RBI double which scored Perez and cut the lead in half.

After Kentucky added a pair of insurance runs in the top of the third to make it 4-1, UCLA proceeded to show the Cats that no amount of insurance runs is enough against the Bruins and they did it the hard way. UCLA used three hits, two walks and two errors to bat around while adding six runs in the inning as the Bruins took a 7-4 lead.

UCLA added three more runs in the fifth on an RBI single by Perez which scored Kinsley Washington and a two-run home run by Nickels. Then, in the sixth, Brianna Tautalafua also hit a two-run homer to put the Bruins up 12-4, invoking the mercy rule in this game, too.

Garcia finished the game with six innings pitched with two runs, one of which was earned, on two hits and a walk while striking out four for her sixth win of the season.

Colorado State Rams

The Rams enter today’s game with a 9-3 record. They’ve won the two games they played against Pac-12 opponents Stanford and Utah along with one over #16 Oklahoma State yesterday. But, their losses have come against Texas State, Iowa State and Cal Poly.

This game looks like another win for the Bruins and, quite possibly, another mercy rule shortened game.

This is your UCLA vs. Colorado State Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic Day Four open thread.


Go Bruins!!!