UCLA
Northwestern
10th-Ranked Bruins Post a Dirty Dozen in Win Over Northwestern
February 13, 2015 | Softball
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LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Spotting Northwestern three runs, the 10th-ranked Bruins responded with 12 unanswered to defeat the Wildcats 12-3 on Friday at the Wilson/DeMarini Desert Classic at Eller Media Stadium.
UCLA (5-2), which takes on New Mexico later Friday afternoon, had seven different players record its 11 hits, as junior Allexis Bennett recorded three with two RBI, senior Ally Carda added a pair with four RBI and sophomore Delaney Spaulding had two hits and two RBI.
In the circle, three pitchers combined on a four-hitter. Junior Paige McDuffee (1-0) picked up the win in relief with two hitless innings, striking out two and walking one. Freshman Selina Ta'amilo notched her second save of the year with four shutout frames of relief, fanning three and giving up two hits and two walks. Carda got the start and struck out three in one inning, allowing three runs, two hits and two walks.
In the bottom of the first, Northwestern got on the board with three, as Sabrina Rabin led off with a single to left and stole second. One out later, Rabin advanced to third on a wild pitch and Amy Letourneau walked. With Fran Strub running for Letourneau, she took off for second, but the throw by junior Brittany Moeai ended up in shallow right-center, as Rabin scored and Strub took third. After a walk to Brianna LeBeau, who moved to second on a wild pitch, Andrea Filler doubled home Strub and LeBeau to make it 3-0.
The Bruins rallied back to take the lead with four in the third. Bennett led off with a single up the middle, stole second and scored on a single to left-center by Carda, who then scored on a Spaulding triple to right to make it 3-2. After a walk to sophomore Gabrielle Maurice, a passed ball forced home Spaulding to even the score. Moeai advanced Maurice to third on a ground out and junior Mysha Sataraka drove her in with a sacrifice fly to left to put the Bruins up 4-3.
UCLA tacked on six runs, all with two outs, in the fifth. Senior Stephany LaRosa and Sataraka exchanged doubles to score the Bruins' fifth run. After a walk to freshman Maddy Jelenicki, senior Gracie Goulder reached on an error by LeBeau at second, allowing Sataraka to score and Jelenicki to make third. A perfect bunt single by Bennett in front of the plate scored Jelenicki to make it 7-3, as Goulder took third on an overthrow to first by catcher Caylor Arnold. After Bennett stole second, Carda hit her third homer of the season to center to increase the advantage to 10-3.
The Bruins added two more runs in the seventh. Sataraka drew a leadoff walk and was pinch-run for by senior Jessica Amaral, who moved to second one out later on a pinch-hit single to left by sophomore Jelly Felix. Bennett followed with a single to right to score Amaral to make it 11-3, as Goulder, who re-entered for Felix, moved to third. One batter later, Spaulding singled to left to score Goulder with the Bruins' 12th run.
