UCLA
Oregon
#16 Bruins Come Up Short vs. #4 Oregon
April 03, 2016 | Softball
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EUGENE, Ore. - Sophomore Kylee Perez recorded three hits, freshman Brianna Tautalafua added two and junior Delaney Spaulding belted a two-run homer, but the 16th-ranked Bruins came up one run short on Saturday at Jane Sanders Stadium, falling 6-5 to #4 Oregon.
The Bruins posted seven hits. In the circle, redshirt junior Paige McDuffee struck out two in three innings, giving up a run, two hits and four walks. Sophomore Selina Ta'amilo fanned one in three frames of work, allowing five runs (three earned), four hits and two walks.
UCLA drew first blood with a run in the second. Sophomore Madeline Jelenicki led off with a single to left, and one out later, moved to second on a failed pickoff throw by the Oregon catcher. Tautalafua then chopped a ball to the circle and beat it out for an infield hit, and when the throw by the Duck pitcher went into right field, Jelenicki scampered home with the game's first run.
The Bruins added two in the third on one swing, as Perez knocked a one-out double to center and Spaulding crushed a two-run homer to left-center, her eighth of the season to tie for the team lead, to put the Bruins up 3-0. The Ducks got on the board in the bottom of the third when Gwen Svekis scored on a wild pitch to make it 3-1. Oregon then scored five in the fifth on two Bruin errors, a two-run single by Koral Costa and an RBI ground out from Hailey Decker to take a 6-3 lead.
The Bruins got one back in the sixth. Junior Gabrielle Maurice reached on an error with one out, moved to second on a ground out by freshman Paige Halstead and scored on Tautalafua's single up the middle to cut the deficit to 6-4. In the seventh, a wild play got the Bruins closer, but not square. With one out, Perez had an infield single to short. Spaulding then tapped a ball to third, but the throw to cut down Perez at second went into center field. Perez bounded home, but missed the plate on her slide and was called out, however, Spaulding scored on a heads up play to make it 6-5. But the Bruins fell one short to set up the rubber game on Saturday.
The final contest of the series starts at 2 p.m. on Sunday. The game will be televised on Pac-12 Network Los Angeles and Oregon.
