No. 18 UCLA Rallies to Defeat San Jose State, 5-1

Sunday, March 3

Fullerton, CA

1:30 PM

UCLA

11-6

San Jose State

6-8

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
San Jose State	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	3	1
UCLA	0	0	0	0	1	4	X	5	11	2

L-r: Thessa Malau'ulu and Sharlize Palacios

Photo by: Lillie Yazdi

No. 18 UCLA Rallies to Defeat San Jose State, 5-1

March 03, 2024 | Softball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Season Stats (PDF)

FULLERTON, Calif. – The No. 18 UCLA softball team recorded four runs in the bottom of the sixth to defeat San Jose State, 5-1, on the final day of the Judi Garman Classic at Anderson Family Field on Sunday.

The Bruins (11-6) finished the tournament with a 4-1 record.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, catcher Sharlize Palacios deposited the first pitch of the inning beyond the left field bleachers to give UCLA a 2-1 lead. Palacios' blast marked her fifth homer in her last six games. She paces all Bruins with five home runs and a .733 slugging percentage through 17 games.

A two-out UCLA rally followed after right fielder Jadelyn Allchin singled into right field one pitch after Palacios' homer. The Shelly Carlin UCLA Head Softball Coach Kelly Inouye-Perez called on Thessa Malau'ulu to pinch hit for Seneca Curo. Malau'ulu answered with a base hit up the middle that skipped past the glove of the Spartans' (6-8) shortstop, scoring Allchin for a key insurance run.

Center fielder Janelle Meoño, batting lead-off for the first time this season, extended the inning by reaching base on an error by San Jose State's first baseman who dropped a routine throw from the shortstop. Redshirt senior Maya Brady came through with her first hit of the day – a double into the left-center gap – to score Malau'ulu and Meoño.

Sophomore pitcher Taylor Tinsley started the game in the circle for the Bruins and allowed one run and struck out five batters over 4.0 innings. Tinsley surrendered two extra-base hits: a double to the first batter of the game and a solo homer to San Jose State's three-hole hitter Reina Zermeno in the fourth inning.

One inning later, UCLA manufactured a run on just six pitches in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game. Meoño notched her second hit of the day by beating out a throw from the Spartans' shortstop to begin the inning. Meoño stole second on the very next pitch with Brady at the plate. Brady hit a long flyout to center field on the next pitch which allowed Meoño plenty of time to tag up from second base, advancing 60 feet from home. Megan Grant stepped to the plate next, and on an 0-1 count, lined out to center field for a sacrifice fly, scoring Meoño.

Meoño leads UCLA with a .500 batting average (11-for-22) in her 13 games played this year. The redshirt senior from Hacienda Heights, Calif. scored a team-high five runs and went 6-for-12 in five games at the Judi Garman Classic this week.

Freshman Kaitlyn Terry entered the circle to begin the top of the fifth. The left-hander did not allow a hit and gave up just one walk in her 3.0 innings of work. Terry struck out one batter in each the fifth and sixth innings and struck out two more in the seventh. She picked up the win, moving her record to a spotless 5-0. Terry has not allowed a run over her last five outings (21.1 innings).

UCLA will play its first home games at Easton Stadium in over month when it opens Pac-12 Conference play versus Utah next week. The Bruins begin the three-game series versus the Utes (12-6) on Friday, March 8 7 p.m. (PT).