Third-Ranked Bruins Battle With #1 Washington

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#1/#1 Washington at #3/#3 UCLA

Friday, April 20
5 p.m.
TV: Pac-12 Networks

Saturday, April 21
1 p.m.
TV: ESPN2

Sunday, April 22
3 p.m.
TV: Pac-12 Networks

All Games at Easton Stadium
Live Stats Links
Tickets

#3 BRUINS TO HOST BATTLE WITH #1 WASHINGTON
The top two teams in the Pac-12 Conference standings square off this weekend at Easton Stadium, as the third-ranked Bruins host #1 Washington. Friday's game will be a 5 p.m. start on Pac-12 Networks, Saturday's contest will begin at 1 p.m. and air on ESPN2 and Sunday's affair starts at 3 p.m. and will be televised by Pac-12 Networks.

WHAT'S NEXT?
The Bruins take a break from conference play to host a round-robin tournament with #19 Oklahoma State and South Dakota. UCLA will play a doubleheader on Friday, April 27 against OSU at 4:30 p.m. and USD at 7 p.m., and will do the same on Saturday, April 28 versus OSU (2 p.m.) and USD (4:30 p.m.). None of the games will be televised, but free live audio will be available on UCLABruins.com.

BRUINS IN THE POLLS
The Bruins moved up one spot to third in both national polls this week, earning 22 additional points in the USA Today/NFCA ranking and 18 points in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll. UCLA is one of five Pac-12 teams ranked in the Top 25 of either poll: Washington (#1 NFCA/#1 USA Softball), Oregon (#4 NFCA/#4 USA Softball), Arizona State (#6 USA Softball/#8 NFCA) and Arizona (#13 NFCA/#14 USA Softball), with California and Oregon State also receiving votes in both polls. In the Pac-12 Preseason Coaches poll, UCLA was second, earning 55 points and a pair of first-place votes.

GARCIA EARNS NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK NODS
Redshirt sophomore Rachel Garcia picked up two national awards on Tuesday, as for the second time this season she earned NFCA (Pitcher of the Week) and USA Softball (Player of the Week) accolades.

Garcia, who on Monday became the third player in Pac-10/12 history to be named conference Player and Pitcher of the Week in the same week, recorded her first NFCA National Pitcher of the Week award and second NFCA National nod of the season (Feb. 27 - Player NPOW), and the 25th in UCLA history. Her USA Softball National POW award is her second of the season (Feb. 27), third of her career (April 11, 2017) and 18th in program history.

At the plate and in the circle, Garcia helped the Bruins to three wins at then-#11 Arizona, going 6-for-7 (.857) with three home runs and seven runs batted in, as well as 2-0 with a 1.24 earned run average and 20 strikeouts in 11 1/3 innings.

In game one on Friday (April 13), Garcia went 2-for-2 with two walks and three RBI, posting her first-ever, two-homer game. She hit a solo homer in her first at-bat (second inning) and a two-run shot in the sixth to give the Bruins the lead for good. In the circle, Garcia tossed four innings of relief, striking out five and giving up two runs and five hits.

On Saturday (April 14), Garcia picked up the victory in the circle, striking out six in three innings of shutout relief. She allowed just one hit. At the plate, she had three hits, including an RBI single. In the series finale on Sunday (April 15), Garcia struck out nine in 4 1/3 frames of shutout relief to earn another victory, giving up only two hits. With the bat, she hit a three-run homer in the first inning, and after doing so, was walked her next three times, including twice intentionally.

NEWS AND NOTES
The Bruins, who had 13 comeback victories last season, posted their eighth and ninth of the year last Friday and Saturday at Arizona ... UCLA has won 85 in a row when ahead after five innings (23 times this season) ... the Bruins have not allowed more than 20 runs in any one inning this season and have given up less than 10 runs in the first (9) and sixth (9) innings ... UCLA has lost just once (37-1) when scoring at least three runs and is 22-0 when giving up two runs or less ... all three of the Bruins' losses this year have come when the opponent scores first (7-3 record, 30-0 when scoring first) ... of the 261 runs batted in for Bruin hitters, 101 have come with two outs for a 38.7 percentage. Freshman Briana Perez leads the team with 19 two-out RBI, followed by redshirt freshman Aaliyah Jordan (18), sophomore Bubba Nickles (11) and redshirt sophomore Rachel Garcia (10) ... the Bruins were the final remaining undefeated team in college softball this season, entering their March 17 game with a 25-0 record. UCLA's start was tied for the fifth best in program history. In three of the other five seasons where the Bruins started a year with at least 25 consecutive wins, they won the NCAA Championship (1992, 1999, 2004) ... UCLA is third in the nation in least number of losses (3), one behind Oklahoma and Washington ... with the Feb. 25 win against Missouri, head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez earned the 500th victory of her career.

BRUINS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS (THROUGH 4/16)
TEAM
Batting Average   1st (.359)
Slugging Percentage   1st (.560)
On Base Percentage   2nd (.437)
Runs Per Game   2nd (7.20)
Doubles   T-8th (68)
Triples   T-15th (13)
Earned Run Average   20th (1.92)
Home Runs   T-30th (40)
Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio   35th (2.66)

INDIVIDUAL
AALIYAH JORDAN
Batting Average   4th (.483)
Runs Batted In   T-4th (53)
Sacrifice Flies   T-12th (4)
Runs Scored   T-17th (42)
On Base Percentage   18th (.535)
Hits   T-19th (58)
Doubles   T-21st (14)
Slugging Percentage   25th (.808)
Total Bases   T-28th (97)

RACHEL GARCIA
Strikeouts Per Seven Innings   4th (10.7)
Hits Allowed Per Seven Innings   8th (3.30)
Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio   12th (7.32)
Earned Run Average   T-31st (1.38)

KYLEE PEREZ
Runs Scored   T-9th (44)
Batting Average   T-30th (.429)
Hits   T-44th (54)

BRIANA PEREZ
Runs Scored   T-32nd (39)

GARCIA NAMED PAC-12 PLAYER, PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Redshirt sophomore Rachel Garcia earned a pair of honors on Monday, as she was named Pac-12 Conference Player and Pitcher of the Week. Garcia became just the third player in league history to be named Pac-10/12 Player and Pitcher of the Week in the same week, joining UCLA assistant coach Lisa Fernandez (April 12, 1993) and Oregon State's Tarrah Beyster (April 13, 1998).

Garcia, who was named NFCA and USA Softball National Player of the Week on Feb. 27, earned the first Pac-12 Player of the Week nod of her career and the fourth Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week award (Feb. 21, April 11 and April 25, 2017). The Bruins have earned seven conference weekly honors this season (Aaliyah Jordan, Freshman of the Week, Feb. 20, Feb. 27, March 13 and April 2 and Briana Perez, Freshman of the Week, Feb. 13).

SCOUTING THE WASHINGTON HUSKIES
Since opening Pac-12 play with a 1-2 weekend at Arizona State, Washington (41-2, 12-2 Pac-12) has won 12 in a row (11 in conference), sweeping Arizona, Stanford and Utah and taking two in a rain-shortened series against California. The Huskies are hitting .335 as a team with 49 home runs and 53 stolen bases, averaging 6.9 runs per game. Five players are hitting better than .350, led by sophomore Sis Bates (.407) and senior Kirstyn Thomas (.406), who are both over .400. Thomas leads the team with 48 runs batted in and is tied for the team lead with 11 homers. Senior Kelly Burdick (.384) is first with 15 steals, while senior Julia DePonte (.322) shares the team lead with 11 homers. In the circle, freshman Gabbie Plain is 13-1 with a 0.73 earned run average and 111 strikeouts in 86 1/3 innings, junior Taran Alvelo is 21-1 with a 0.74 ERA and 201 strikeouts in 142 1/3 innings and sophomore Samantha Manti is 6-0 with a 1.68 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 41 2/3 innings.

SERIES HISTORY: BRUINS VS. HUSKIES
The Bruins lead the all-time series with the Huskies by a count of 55-35 and won last year's Pac-12 series in Seattle. UCLA posted 6-2 and 9-8 victories in the first two games. The Huskies would win game three, 12-7, and then eliminated the Bruins from the Women's College World Series with a 1-0 victory. UCLA is 22-15 at home versus Washington, but has dropped five of its last six at Easton Stadium.

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