Friday, May 16
Los Angeles, CA
4:30 PM (PT)
UCLA
50-10
9
vs
1
UC Santa Barbara
34-25
1
2
3
4
5
6
R
H
E
UC Santa Barbara
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
4
0
UCLA
0
0
0
3
0
6
9
10
1
Sophomore Kaitlyn Terry
Photo by: Elijah Carr
Softball Opens NCAA Regionals with 9-1 Win over UCSB
May 16, 2025 | Softball
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The No. 9-seeded UCLA softball team scored nine unanswered runs to mercy-rule UC Santa Barbara, 9-1, in six innings in the NCAA Los Angeles Regional opener at Easton Stadium Friday night.
Sophomore two-way player Kaitlyn Terry broke the Bruins' (50-10) offensive silence with a go-ahead three-run homer in the bottom of the fourth inning to give UCLA a 3-1 lead. Terry entered the circle the next half inning for relief of starting pitcher Taylor Tinsley who put forth 4.0 solid innings of one-run ball. Terry kept the Gauchos (34-25) in check with 2.0 scoreless innings to secure her second save of the season.
"I'm proud of the Bruins," said the Shelly Carlin UCLA Head Softball Coach Kelly Inouye-Perez. "(UCSB) came out first and won that inning, but our ability to settle in and play our game is what we need to do here in the postseason. It was very clutch. (Kaitlyn Terry) came in and had Taylor Tinsley's back, and we did a great job of being able to finish out game one of the postseason. I'm very proud of my Bruins."
Kaitlyn Terry is the first UCLA player to hit a home run and earn a save in the same game since Courtney Dale on March 3, 2001. Dale's homer was also a three-run shot.
"I mean, it is very hard," Terry said when asked about juggling multiple roles. "But I think that just my mindset is knowing, kind of like putting them on different sides, like if I'm pitching then I'm focusing on pitching, and if I'm in right field then I'm in right field, and for hitting the same thing. I think that splitting them up is probably the biggest thing and not letting them get together."
With the win, UCLA is now 240-68 all-time in NCAA Tournament play. Additionally, Inouye-Perez has now led UCLA to nine 50-win seasons in her 19 years as head coach at her alma mater.
The Bruins totaled 10 base knocks in the ballgame with multi-hit performances from table setters Jessica Clements and Savannah Pola. UCLA's 7-8-9 hitters went a combined 3-for-6 and reached base four times.
Terry's three-run shot in the fourth was the capstone to a two-out rally solely generated by the bottom of the lineup. The Bruins' No. 7 hitter Kaniya Bragg was hit by a pitch for a nation-leading 21st time this season to put the first runner on board. Taylor Stephens, who was making her first start of the season and logging her first at-bats in over a year, delivered a clutch single to opposite field. Bragg advanced to third base on the play while Stephens moved up to second on the throw from right field. Terry took the very next delivery from UC Santa Barbara ace Malaya Johnson and deposited the pitch over the center field wall for her second homer of the season.
The Bruins poured on six runs in the sixth inning to put the mercy rule into effect, all scored with two outs. Once again it was the bottom half of the order that sparked the rally. Freshmen Rylee Slimp and Bragg both reached base on a walk and a single into left field, respectively. A fielder's choice groundout to shortstop and strikeout brought the top of the Bruins' order to the plate. Graduate center fielder Clements was drilled by a pitch on an 0-1 count but was ordered by home plate umpire Mike Bartling to stay in the batter's box for not making an attempt to dodge. Clements watched another ball go by before trading her potential HBP for a three-run homer to center field, extending UCLA's lead to 6-1 with her fourth bomb of the season.
The heart of the Bruins' lineup – Pola, Jordan Woolery and Megan Grant – were eager to continue the offensive barrage still with two away. Pola walked and swiped second to put herself in scoring position for Woolery. Woolery, the USA Softball Player of the Year Top 10 Finalist, picked up her 76th run batted in of the season on a single into left center to bring home Pola. On a 2-0 count, Grant ended the game with a two-run mercy-rule walk-off homer off the platform in left-center field. Grant now leads the Big Ten with 24 home runs this season.
Tinsley's struck out one Gaucho and allowed three hits and one walk en route to earning her 13th win of the season (13-4).
NEXT UP
UCLA will face (3) San Diego State in the winner's bracket of the NCAA Los Angeles Regional Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. (PT) at Easton Stadium. The Bruins will be the designated visiting team in the contest. The ESPN Family of Networks will broadcast the game, however the carrier or stream is yet to be determined.
Sophomore two-way player Kaitlyn Terry broke the Bruins' (50-10) offensive silence with a go-ahead three-run homer in the bottom of the fourth inning to give UCLA a 3-1 lead. Terry entered the circle the next half inning for relief of starting pitcher Taylor Tinsley who put forth 4.0 solid innings of one-run ball. Terry kept the Gauchos (34-25) in check with 2.0 scoreless innings to secure her second save of the season.
"I'm proud of the Bruins," said the Shelly Carlin UCLA Head Softball Coach Kelly Inouye-Perez. "(UCSB) came out first and won that inning, but our ability to settle in and play our game is what we need to do here in the postseason. It was very clutch. (Kaitlyn Terry) came in and had Taylor Tinsley's back, and we did a great job of being able to finish out game one of the postseason. I'm very proud of my Bruins."
Kaitlyn Terry is the first UCLA player to hit a home run and earn a save in the same game since Courtney Dale on March 3, 2001. Dale's homer was also a three-run shot.
"I mean, it is very hard," Terry said when asked about juggling multiple roles. "But I think that just my mindset is knowing, kind of like putting them on different sides, like if I'm pitching then I'm focusing on pitching, and if I'm in right field then I'm in right field, and for hitting the same thing. I think that splitting them up is probably the biggest thing and not letting them get together."
With the win, UCLA is now 240-68 all-time in NCAA Tournament play. Additionally, Inouye-Perez has now led UCLA to nine 50-win seasons in her 19 years as head coach at her alma mater.
The Bruins totaled 10 base knocks in the ballgame with multi-hit performances from table setters Jessica Clements and Savannah Pola. UCLA's 7-8-9 hitters went a combined 3-for-6 and reached base four times.
Terry's three-run shot in the fourth was the capstone to a two-out rally solely generated by the bottom of the lineup. The Bruins' No. 7 hitter Kaniya Bragg was hit by a pitch for a nation-leading 21st time this season to put the first runner on board. Taylor Stephens, who was making her first start of the season and logging her first at-bats in over a year, delivered a clutch single to opposite field. Bragg advanced to third base on the play while Stephens moved up to second on the throw from right field. Terry took the very next delivery from UC Santa Barbara ace Malaya Johnson and deposited the pitch over the center field wall for her second homer of the season.
The Bruins poured on six runs in the sixth inning to put the mercy rule into effect, all scored with two outs. Once again it was the bottom half of the order that sparked the rally. Freshmen Rylee Slimp and Bragg both reached base on a walk and a single into left field, respectively. A fielder's choice groundout to shortstop and strikeout brought the top of the Bruins' order to the plate. Graduate center fielder Clements was drilled by a pitch on an 0-1 count but was ordered by home plate umpire Mike Bartling to stay in the batter's box for not making an attempt to dodge. Clements watched another ball go by before trading her potential HBP for a three-run homer to center field, extending UCLA's lead to 6-1 with her fourth bomb of the season.
The heart of the Bruins' lineup – Pola, Jordan Woolery and Megan Grant – were eager to continue the offensive barrage still with two away. Pola walked and swiped second to put herself in scoring position for Woolery. Woolery, the USA Softball Player of the Year Top 10 Finalist, picked up her 76th run batted in of the season on a single into left center to bring home Pola. On a 2-0 count, Grant ended the game with a two-run mercy-rule walk-off homer off the platform in left-center field. Grant now leads the Big Ten with 24 home runs this season.
Tinsley's struck out one Gaucho and allowed three hits and one walk en route to earning her 13th win of the season (13-4).
NEXT UP
UCLA will face (3) San Diego State in the winner's bracket of the NCAA Los Angeles Regional Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. (PT) at Easton Stadium. The Bruins will be the designated visiting team in the contest. The ESPN Family of Networks will broadcast the game, however the carrier or stream is yet to be determined.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Tinsley, Taylor (13-4)
L: Malaya Johnson (22-11)
S: Terry, Kaitlyn (2)
Batting:
RBI: Delaina Ma'ae 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Alexa Sams 1
Batting:
2B: Clements, Jessica 1 ; Pola, Savannah 1
HR: Clements, Jessica 1 ; Grant, Megan 1 ; Terry, Kaitlyn 1
RBI: Clements, Jessica 3 ; Woolery, Jordan 1 ; Grant, Megan 2 ; Terry, Kaitlyn 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Clements, Jessica 1 ; Pola, Savannah 1 ; Pinedo, Rylee 1 ; Grant, Megan 1 ; Slimp, Rylee 1 ; Bragg, Kaniya 1 ; Stephens, Taylor 1 ; Mujica, Sofia 1 ; Terry, Kaitlyn 1
SB: Pola, Savannah 1 ; Hatch, Lauren 1
HBP: Bragg, Kaniya 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
3
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
INF/UTIL
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
UTIL
/ Softball
UTIL
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
UTIL
/ Softball
P/OF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
INF
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