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Tautalafua Home Run

LOS ANGELES - Sophomore Brianna Tautalafua hit her team-leading ninth home run of the season to get the Bruins on the board in the bottom of the seventh, but #10 UCLA came up one run short in a 2-1 setback to #20 Utah in the Pac-12 opener at Easton Stadium.

The Bruins fall to 21-6 overall, while the Utes improved to 19-4.

Redshirt freshman Rachel Garcia tossed 4 1/3 innings of shutout relief, striking out two and giving up two hits and one walk. She retired the side in order in the fifth and sixth innings. Junior Johanna Grauer (7-2) started and struck out two in 2 2/3 frames, allowing two runs, four hits and one walk.

Utah scored a pair of runs with two outs in the top of the third on RBI singles by Alyssa Barrera and Hannah Flippen to take an early 2-0 lead. The only other threat for the Utes came in the top of the seventh when they had runners at third and second with one out, but Garcia got a strikeout and a fly out to end the threat. 

The Bruins had baserunners in five of their first six innings, but could get only one to second base on a fourth-inning double by junior Madeline Jelenicki. In the seventh with one out, Tautalafua crushed the first pitch she saw out to left-center to cut the Bruins' deficit in half. Garcia followed with a double to right-center, and one out later, sophomore Zoe Shaw was hit by a pitch. But Miranda Viramontes struck out senior Delaney Spaulding to end the game.

UCLA continues it series with Utah on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on Pac-12 Networks Los Angeles.