Sunday, May 18
Los Angeles, CA
4:30 PM (PT)
UCLA
52-10
12
vs
1
UC Santa Barbara
36-26
1
2
3
4
5
R
H
E
UCLA
4
4
0
3
1
12
13
0
UC Santa Barbara
0
1
0
0
0
1
4
1
Junior RHP Taylor Tinsley
Photo by: Crash Kamon
UCLA Dominates UC Santa Barbara, 12-1, to Win NCAA Regional
May 18, 2025 | Softball
LOS ANGELES – The No. 9-seeded UCLA softball team mercy ruled a third straight opponent, defeating UC Santa Barbara, 12-1, in five innings in the NCAA Regional Final at Easton Stadium Sunday afternoon.
The Bruins (52-10) totaled 10-plus hits for a third straight game in the Regional, racking up 13 knocks with two doubles and two home runs. Junior catcher Alexis Ramirez matched her career high in hits, going 3-for-4 with three separate RBI base hits to finish the day with five total runs driven in. Jordan Woolery, Megan Grant and Jessica Clements all homered in the contest.
"Every year is different, and I think that the bottom line is that we had so many people step up," said The Shelly Carlin UCLA Head Softball Coach Kelly Inouye-Perez. "What's different this year is that (Woolery and Grant) are the leadership group this year. They've done a great job of taking care of the program and leading by example on the field and off of the field. My leaders up here were freshman just a little bit ago, and now they're doing their best to take care of UCLA softball. To me, that's why this group is so successful; they have a lot of pride in the program and taking care of it. Getting to be in a Super Regional never gets old. This is the goal, to be able to get there."
For the first time in program history, UCLA opened the NCAA Tournament with three straight run-rule victories. Additionally, the Bruins set a new best for run differential in an NCAA Regional in the Super Regional era (since 2005) with a benchmark of +29 (31-2).
UCLA, playing as the designated visitors, jumped out to a healthy eight-run lead with two four spots in each of the first two innings. Ramirez drove in the first three runs of the day in the first inning with a single into right field. An errant throw by Gauchos' (36-26) fielder Giselle Mejia on the play led her catcher up the third base line allowed a third run to score. The next bater, freshman Kaniya Bragg, deposited another single into right field to score Ramirez from second base.
Right fielder Kaitlyn Terry went first-pitch swinging and shot a double up the right-center gap to lead off the top of the second. Clements plated the speedy Terry two pitches later on another single to right field. Two more RBI singles by Grant and Ramirez extended UCLA's lead to 8-0 just 1.1 innings into the ballgame.
UCLA tacked three more runs onto its lead in the fourth inning. Woolery and Grant hit back-to-back home runs for the second time this season to open the frame. The bomb was Grant's 25th of the year, tying Ohio State's Jasmyn Burns for the most by a Big Ten player in a single season; Burns also hit her 25 homers this year.
Ramirez' final hit of the night drove in freshman Rylee Slimp who doubled right before her, extending the lead to 11-1.
Clements, a graduate transfer from Cal Poly, added one more in the top of the fifth with a solo home run to right-center field in her final at-bat at Easton Stadium. Clements has two home runs thus far in her first-ever postseason experience.
Right-handed pitcher Taylor Tinsley took care of business in the circle with 4.0 innings of one-run ball in her start. Tinsley (14-4) struck out six UC Santa Barbara batters and picked up her 14th win of the season and second of the NCAA Tournament.
Inouye-Perez called on senior Jada Cecil to close the door out of the bullpen. Cecil struck out one batter in her final inning of work in her home ballpark.
More history was made with the back-to-back jacks. Woolery (82 RBI) and Grant (79) improved their combined run batted in total to 161 for the most ever by a Bruin duo in a single season. The previous record was set by Stacey Nuveman and Julie Marshall in 1999.
With the win, the Bruins advance to their 15th Super Regional and will travel to face South Carolina in a best-of-three series next week in Columbia, S.C. from May 23-25. UCLA last went on the road for Super Regionals in 2016 (Eugene, Ore.). The Bruins will play their first games at South Carolina since the 2002 Regional.
The Bruins (52-10) totaled 10-plus hits for a third straight game in the Regional, racking up 13 knocks with two doubles and two home runs. Junior catcher Alexis Ramirez matched her career high in hits, going 3-for-4 with three separate RBI base hits to finish the day with five total runs driven in. Jordan Woolery, Megan Grant and Jessica Clements all homered in the contest.
"Every year is different, and I think that the bottom line is that we had so many people step up," said The Shelly Carlin UCLA Head Softball Coach Kelly Inouye-Perez. "What's different this year is that (Woolery and Grant) are the leadership group this year. They've done a great job of taking care of the program and leading by example on the field and off of the field. My leaders up here were freshman just a little bit ago, and now they're doing their best to take care of UCLA softball. To me, that's why this group is so successful; they have a lot of pride in the program and taking care of it. Getting to be in a Super Regional never gets old. This is the goal, to be able to get there."
For the first time in program history, UCLA opened the NCAA Tournament with three straight run-rule victories. Additionally, the Bruins set a new best for run differential in an NCAA Regional in the Super Regional era (since 2005) with a benchmark of +29 (31-2).
UCLA, playing as the designated visitors, jumped out to a healthy eight-run lead with two four spots in each of the first two innings. Ramirez drove in the first three runs of the day in the first inning with a single into right field. An errant throw by Gauchos' (36-26) fielder Giselle Mejia on the play led her catcher up the third base line allowed a third run to score. The next bater, freshman Kaniya Bragg, deposited another single into right field to score Ramirez from second base.
Right fielder Kaitlyn Terry went first-pitch swinging and shot a double up the right-center gap to lead off the top of the second. Clements plated the speedy Terry two pitches later on another single to right field. Two more RBI singles by Grant and Ramirez extended UCLA's lead to 8-0 just 1.1 innings into the ballgame.
UCLA tacked three more runs onto its lead in the fourth inning. Woolery and Grant hit back-to-back home runs for the second time this season to open the frame. The bomb was Grant's 25th of the year, tying Ohio State's Jasmyn Burns for the most by a Big Ten player in a single season; Burns also hit her 25 homers this year.
Ramirez' final hit of the night drove in freshman Rylee Slimp who doubled right before her, extending the lead to 11-1.
Clements, a graduate transfer from Cal Poly, added one more in the top of the fifth with a solo home run to right-center field in her final at-bat at Easton Stadium. Clements has two home runs thus far in her first-ever postseason experience.
Right-handed pitcher Taylor Tinsley took care of business in the circle with 4.0 innings of one-run ball in her start. Tinsley (14-4) struck out six UC Santa Barbara batters and picked up her 14th win of the season and second of the NCAA Tournament.
Inouye-Perez called on senior Jada Cecil to close the door out of the bullpen. Cecil struck out one batter in her final inning of work in her home ballpark.
More history was made with the back-to-back jacks. Woolery (82 RBI) and Grant (79) improved their combined run batted in total to 161 for the most ever by a Bruin duo in a single season. The previous record was set by Stacey Nuveman and Julie Marshall in 1999.
With the win, the Bruins advance to their 15th Super Regional and will travel to face South Carolina in a best-of-three series next week in Columbia, S.C. from May 23-25. UCLA last went on the road for Super Regionals in 2016 (Eugene, Ore.). The Bruins will play their first games at South Carolina since the 2002 Regional.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Tinsley, Taylor (14-4)
L: Malaya Johnson (24-12)
Batting:
2B: Slimp, Rylee 1 ; Terry, Kaitlyn 1
HR: Clements, Jessica 1 ; Woolery, Jordan 1 ; Grant, Megan 1
RBI: Clements, Jessica 2 ; Woolery, Jordan 1 ; Grant, Megan 2 ; Ramirez, Alexis 5 ; Bragg, Kaniya 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Clements, Jessica 2 ; Pola, Savannah 2 ; Woolery, Jordan 2 ; Grant, Megan 1 ; Hatch, Lauren 1 ; Slimp, Rylee 2 ; Ramirez, Alexis 1 ; Terry, Kaitlyn 1
HBP: Grant, Megan 1 ; Slimp, Rylee 1
Batting:
2B: Alexa Sams 1
RBI: Ainsley Waddell 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Alexa Sams 1
HBP: Kaylin Garcia 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
1
H
3
RBI
5
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
2
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
INF/UTIL
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
UTIL
/ Softball
C/UTIL
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
P/OF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
INF
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