UCLA
Auburn
Season Comes to an End for Seventh-Seeded Bruins in Loss to #4 Auburn
May 31, 2015 | Softball
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OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - It was a dramatic, gut-wrenching, excruciating 10-inning classic on Saturday at the Women's College World Series, but the seventh-seeded Bruins saw their season come to an unfortunate end in an 11-10 setback to #4 Auburn at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium.
The Bruins conclude their season at 51-12 after an amazing year that saw them make their return to Oklahoma City and post back-to-back, 50-win campaigns for the first time since 2002-2003.
UCLA recorded 17 hits, as six of the eight starters had at least a pair of hits. Freshman Kylee Perez had four, senior Ally Carda added three and seniors Gracie Goulder and Stephany LaRosa and sophomores Gabrielle Maurice and Delaney Spaulding added two apiece. Carda (32-8) concluded an outstanding career with seven strikeouts in 8 2/3 innings.
After two scoreless frames, the third inning saw the two teams combine for 11 runs. In the Bruins' half of the third, the bases were loaded after walks to junior Allexis Bennett, Carda and junior Mysha Sataraka. Maurice then cleared the bases with a triple to right-center to put the Bruins up. A two-out RBI single for Perez brought in freshman Maddy Jelenicki to make it 4-0, while a double steal with Perez swiping second and Goulder stealing home made it 5-0.
Auburn stormed back with six in its half of the third, but the Bruins equaled the score in the top of the fourth. Bennett reached on a fielding error, moved to second on a Carda bunt single, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a Sataraka sacrifice fly.
The Tigers extended their lead with a three-run homer in the fourth, but the Bruins began to peck away in the fifth. Singles by Goulder and Perez opened the inning and a single to right by Spaulding scored Goulder to make it 9-7.
In the seventh, the Bruins rallied to take the lead. Carda and LaRosa each had singles to open the frame and moved up on a sacrifice by Sataraka. A tapper to first by Maurice brought in Carda to make it 9-8, which was followed by a go-ahead homer by Jelenicki to left-center, her ninth of the year, to put the Bruins up 10-9.
Auburn tied the game in the seventh on a single and a double, but left the bases loaded to send the game to extra innings.
The Bruins kept on getting runners on, but would leave 17 for the game, as Auburn walked off on a bases-loaded free pass to advance and end UCLA's season.
