UCLA
Wichita State
Sataraka Stays Hot in Win Over Wichita
February 13, 2016 | Softball
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COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Senior Mysha Sataraka remained on fire, collecting three hits for the second-straight game and driving in five, both numbers tying career highs, as the seventh-ranked Bruins defeated Wichita State, 6-5, on Saturday at the Aggie Softball Complex.
The victory for the Bruins was the 400th of head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez's career.
The Bruins improved to 2-1 on the season and will play #24 Texas A&M later Saturday afternoon (scheduled for 3:15 p.m. PT/5:15 p.m. CT), but likely to be pushed back because of long games.
UCLA recorded nine hits, as sophomore Madeline Jelenicki posted a pair. In the circle, sophomore Johanna Grauer went the distance to improve to 1-1, striking out two and giving up five runs, 11 hits and four walks.
UCLA fell behind for the third game in a row on an RBI double by Paige Luellen in the top of the first to give Wichita State a 1-0 lead.
The Bruins would get a pair in their half of the first. Senior Allexis Bennett led off with a single to the 5-6 hole and moved to second on a sacrifice by sophomore Kylee Perez. One out later, Jelenicki tripled high off the wall in left-center to score Bennett and even the game. Sataraka followed with a line-drive single to left to plate Jelenicki and give the Bruins a 2-1 lead.
The Shockers tied things at two with a two-out rally in the top of the second, as Mackenzie Wright drove home Cassidy Kelsheimer with a single.
UCLA had its own rally with two outs in the third. With junior Delaney Spaulding at second and Jelenicki at first, Sataraka launched her first home run of the season to right-center to put the Bruins up 5-2.
The Shockers didn't take long to tie it up in the top of the fourth thanks to a solo homer by Laurie Anne Derrico, back-to-back singles from Kelsheimer and Ashley Johnson and a two-run double from Wright to even the score at five.
In the fifth, the Bruins again rallied with two outs. Spaulding doubled to left-center, Jelenicki reached on a comebacker single and Sataraka tied her career high with her fifth RBI on a double high off the left-field wall to put UCLA ahead 6-5.
