UCLA
Colorado State
#7 UCLA Breaks Even on Opening Day
February 13, 2016 | Softball
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COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The seventh-ranked Bruins split their season-opening doubleheader on Friday at the Aggie Softball Complex, coming back to defeat Colorado State, 6-5, before losing to #24 Texas A&M, 5-1.
In game one, UCLA came back from a pair of three-run deficits to nip the Rams by one. Sophomore Selina Ta'amilo picked up the win, striking out five in five innings, allowing four runs (three earned), five hits and four walks. Sophomore Johanna Grauer earned the save, fanning three in two frames and giving up a run, a hit and two walks. The Bruins had five hits and drew six walks. Sophomore Madeline Jelenicki was 2-for-2 with two runs batted in.
Colorado State jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second on an RBI single from Amber Nelson and a two-run double by Taryn Arcarese.
The Bruins used a pair of doubles in the bottom of the fourth to get on the board, as junior Delaney Spaulding led off with one to center and Jelenicki recorded a one-out, two-bagger to right-center to make it 3-1.
The Rams got the run back in the top of the fifth on a two-out error, walk, hit by pitch and single by Jaelyn Manzanares to raise their lead back up to three.
However, in the bottom of the fifth, the Bruins sent 10 to the plate and scored five times on only two hits to take their first lead. Freshman Taylor Pack led off with a walk and was pinch-run for by freshman Imani Johnson, who scored on a triple down the right-field line by freshman Zoe Shaw to make it 4-2. A hit by pitch of senior Allexis Bennett put two on base, and when Bennett stole second, the throw was cut off by the CSU pitcher, but dropped, which allowed Shaw to scamper home with UCLA's third run.
A single to sophomore Kylee Perez and a walk to Spaulding loaded the bases. Jelenicki would even the score with a one-out sacrifice fly to center to plate Bennett. Then two consecutive at-bats with a wild pitch forced home Perez and Spaulding to extend UCLA's lead to 6-4.
The Rams cut their deficit to one in the sixth on an RBI single from Savannah Clark, and would have the tying run on base in the seventh, but left her on second to finish off the Bruins' victory.
UCLA was again playing from behind in game two, as Texas A&M scored four times in the first on a two-run double by Cali Lanphear and a two-run homer from Kristen Cuyos.
The Bruins got on the board in the third, as Perez and Spaulding both walked to open the inning, moved up a base on a ground out and Perez came in on a single through the 5-6 hole by senior Mysha Sataraka to make it 4-1.
In the bottom of the third, Grauer got out of a huge jam. After the first two runners reached on a walk and a double, Grauer got the next three outs, all on the ground to Spaulding at short, including a 16-pitch at-bat to end the inning.
Grauer kept the Aggies off the scoreboard until the sixth when Riley Sartain hit a one-out homer to center to extend the Bruins' lead to 5-1.
The Bruins had six hits and five walks, but left 12 on base. Sataraka recorded three of UCLA's six hits. Grauer went the distance in the circle, allowing five runs, eight hits and two walks in six innings.
The Bruins play another doubleheader on Saturday against Wichita State at 10:15 a.m. PT/12:15 p.m. CT and Texas A&M at 3:15 p.m. PT/5:15 p.m. CT.
