UCLA
LSU
#7 UCLA Goes 1-1 on Sunday
February 21, 2016 | Softball
UCLA Softball Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. – The seventh-ranked Bruins had another productive day on offense with 14 runs and 25 hits and earned another split on Sunday at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic I, falling to #4 LSU, 10-5, before beating Pacific, 9-1, in five innings.
Against LSU (8-2), six Bruins (6-3), seniors Allexis Bennett and Mysha Sataraka, junior Gabrielle Maurice, sophomores Madeline Jelenicki and Kylee Perez and freshman Paige Halstead, had two-hit contests, as UCLA had 13 hits as a team. Sataraka also drove in two. In the circle, sophomore Selina Ta'amilo (5-1) lost her first decision of the season, striking out two in 2 2/3 innings and giving up six runs, five hits and three walks. Sophomore Johanna Grauer tossed 4 1/3 frames of relief and fanned one, allowing four runs, six hits and two walks.
LSU struck first in the top of the second, batting around and scoring runs on an RBI double by Amber Serrett, a two-run single from Constance Quinn and an RBI single by Emily Griggs to go up 4-0. The Tigers added two more in the third on a two-run single from Sandra Simmons to make it 6-0.
The Bruins got on the board on two swings in their half of the third. Jelenicki led off the inning with a shot to left. LSU's Serrett got a glove on the ball at the same time as she crashed into the fence, as she tumbled over and the ball fell out to give Jelenicki her first homer of the season. Two pitches later, Sataraka made it back-to-back jacks with a long smash to left, her third of the year, to cut the deficit to 6-2.
In the fourth, the Tigers recorded three RBI singles from Bianka Bell, Bailey Landry and Serrett to go ahead 9-2. The Bruins rallied for two runs in the bottom of the fifth. With two outs and Maurice on second after reaching on a fielder's choice and Halstead on first following a single, freshman Taylor Pack singled up the middle to plate Maurice to make it 9-3. An illegal pitch on LSU then brought in Halstead with the Bruins' fourth run.
The Bruins tacked on another run in the sixth. Perez singled to left-center with one out and moved to third on a single to right by Jelenicki. Sataraka followed with a sacrifice fly to right to bring in Perez to make it 9-5. In the seventh, LSU brought in one more run on a sacrifice fly by Sahvanna Jaquish to make it 10-5.
Versus Pacific (5-5), the Bruins (7-3) recorded 12 more hits, as Bennett posted the second, four-hit game of her career, Perez added three hits and three RBI and Spaulding went 2-for-3 with five RBI, which tied a personal best. Ta'amilo (6-1) went the distance in the circle, striking out eight and giving up a run, five hits and two walks in five innings. She struck out the side in the fifth and two each in the first and second.
Pacific drew first blood in the top of the third on an RBI single by Sara Anderson, but the Bruins rallied with three in their half of the inning. Bennett led off with a single to short and moved to second on a throwing error, which was followed by Perez's second homer of the weekend to right-center to put the Bruins ahead 2-1. Maurice then reached on an error, stole second and third and came home on an RBI single to left by Spaulding to make it 3-1.
UCLA broke it open with five in the fourth. Like most innings this weekend when the top of the order led off, Bennett and Perez each had singles, which was followed by a Maurice single up the middle to bring in Bennett to make it 4-1. One out later, a Sataraka walk loaded the bases for Spaulding, who went the opposite way to right for a grand slam, her second homer of the season, to raise the Bruins' advantage to 8-1.
The Bruins won their second mercy-rule game of the weekend in the fifth. Freshman Zoe Shaw reached on an infield single and took second on an error, moved to third on a Bennett infield single and scored on a single to center by Perez to win it 9-1.
The Bruins are back in Cathedral City next weekend for five games over four days, starting Thursday against top-ranked Florida at 5:30 p.m. Live stats and video links will be available at UCLABruins.com.
