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Oregon
Top-Ranked Oregon Rallies in Seventh to Defeat #8 UCLA
April 05, 2015 | Softball
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LOS ANGELES - The eighth-ranked Bruins saw #1 Oregon rally from a 4-1 deficit in the seventh inning, as the Ducks scored five times to beat UCLA 6-4 on Saturday at Easton Stadium.
The Bruins fall to 31-7 and 6-2 in Pac-12 play, while the Ducks improve to 31-5 and 9-2 in league action.
UCLA had just four hits at the plate. In the circle, senior Ally Carda struck out five in 4 1/3 innings, giving up a run, four hits and four walks. Freshman Johanna Grauer (6-1) allowed five runs (three earned) and six hits in 2 1/3 innings of relief, while freshman Selina Ta'amilo gave up a hit and a walk in 1/3 of relief.
The Ducks got on the board in the top of the first. Jenna Lilley recorded a one-out single to center and moved to second on a passed ball, Hailey Decker walked and Geri Ann Glasco singled to left to load the bases. Janelle Lindvall followed with a tapper to short, as sophomore Delaney Spaulding came home and senior Stephany LaRosa kept her foot on the dish to record the second out of the inning. But Carda then hit Danica Mercado with a pitch to force in Decker with the game's first run.
The Bruins battled back with four runs in the second on just one hit, sending 10 to the plate. Freshman Maddy Jelenicki walked to start things off and junior Brittany Moeai was hit by a pitch. One out later, freshman Kylee Perez singled to right to bring in Jelenicki to even the score at one, which was followed by a hit by pitch of senior Gracie Goulder to load the bases.
A grounder to first off the bat of junior Allexis Bennett caused a force at home, with senior Tara Mueller, who was running for Moeai, getting retired for the second out. But a walk to Carda brought in Perez to give the Bruins a 2-1 lead and a wild pitch plated Goulder with the Bruins' third run. After a walk to Spaulding again loaded the bases, LaRosa drew a free pass to score Bennett to make it 4-1.
Carda and the Bruins got out of a big jam in the third thanks to some great defense at the hot corner. With the bases loaded and one out, Mercado hit a sharp grounder to third which was grabbed by Perez, who spun and fired home to force Lilley at the plate. A strikeout of Koral Costa ended the threat.
In the fourth, Oregon again had bases loaded with one out for the third time in four innings, but Carda got out of it, striking out Decker and Glasco to keep the Bruins up by three.
Along with the two force plays at the plate, the Bruin defense turned a pair of double plays. The second inning ended on a 6-4-3 double play. In the fifth after a leadoff hit by pitch, Mercado popped up to shortstop on a hit and run play and the Oregon runner was caught off first for another twin-killing.
In the seventh, Oregon rallied for five runs. Glasco reached on a leadoff error by Spaulding at short and was pinch-run for by Sammie Puentes, who moved to second one out later on a single to left by Mercado. A single to left by Costa plated Puentes to make it 4-2. Lauren Lindvall followed with a three-run homer to left to put the Ducks up 5-4. Oregon would end up loading the bases later in the inning and a great catch by sophomore Gabrielle Maurice in left kept it from being anything more than a sacrifice fly, which gave the Ducks a 6-4 lead.
The Bruins and the Ducks wrap up their three-game series on Sunday at 12 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2.
