UCLA
Stanford
Eight in the Sixth Rallies UCLA to Win
April 10, 2016 | Softball
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LOS ANGELES - Senior Mysha Sataraka was 3-for-3 and tied a career high with five runs batted in, while sophomore Kylee Perez added three hits and three RBI, as the 13th-ranked Bruins came back from a 9-5 deficit to score eight in the sixth and beat Stanford 13-9 on Saturday at Easton Stadium.
The Bruins improve to 23-11-1 overall with the win and 5-3-1 in Pac-12 play, while the Cardinal fall to 13-18 and 0-7 in league.
Seven different Bruins had a hit, as UCLA compiled 13 as a team. Senior Allexis Bennett had two hits and scored twice and freshman Paige Halstead added two hits and two RBI. In the circle, sophomore Selina Ta'amilo (11-3) got the win, striking out two in 2 1/3 innings and giving up three runs (two earned) and four hits. Redshirt junior Paige McDuffee started and also fanned two, allowing six runs and five hits in 4 2/3 innings.
The topsy-turvy game saw the Bruins scored the first five runs and Stanford come back with nine unanswered before the sixth-inning heroics by the home team. In the first, UCLA got on the board. Bennett led off with a double to left and moved to third on a bunt single by Perez. One out later, Sataraka walked and sophomore Madeline Jelenicki tapped a grounder to short for a fielder's choice RBI to score Bennett.
UCLA added four more in the second. Freshman Brianna Tautalafua and Halstead opened the inning with back-to-back singles, while a walk to junior Jelly Felix loaded the bases. One out later, Perez brought home a pair on a double to right-center to make it 3-0. After a walk to junior Delaney Spaulding re-loaded the bases, Sataraka sent one back up the middle to bring home Felix and Perez to up the lead to 5-0.
Stanford rallied back though with three runs each in the fourth, fifth and sixth. A three-run homer by Victoria Molina in the fourth got the Cardinal closer. Then in the fifth, a two-run single by Molina and an RBI single from Lauren Wegner gave the visitors a 6-5 lead. Stanford tacked on three more in the sixth on a Bruin error, an RBI double by Kayla Bonstrom and a run-scoring single off the bat of Jessica Plaza to make it 9-5.
But UCLA would see its first 10 batters of the bottom of the sixth reach base, as the Bruins sent 13 to the plate. Felix led off with a walk and was pinch-run for by freshman Imani Johnson, who moved to second on a Bennett single to left and scored on a Perez single to left-center to cut the deficit to 9-6. A walk to Spaulding loaded the bases for Sataraka, who cleared them with a double to right-center to tie the score at nine, as the senior took third on an error.
Jelenicki then singled through the 5-6 hole to bring in Sataraka with the go-ahead run. The Bruins weren't done yet though, as junior Gabrielle Maurice and Tautalafua walked to load the bases for Halstead, who singled up the middle to score junior Robyn Corruth, who was running for Jelenicki, and Maurice to make it 12-9. Another walk to Felix loaded the bases for Bennett, who lifted a sacrifice fly to left to score freshman Stevie Wisz, who was running for Tautalafua, to bring home the Bruins' lucky 13th run.
The Bruins and the Cardinal continue their three-game set on Sunday at 6 p.m. at Easton Stadium. All fans in attendance will receive a free UCLA t-shirt, with gates opening at 3:30 p.m. The game will be televised live on Pac-12 Network Los Angeles and Bay Area, with live audio and live stats on UCLABruins.com.
