Junior INF Jordan Woolery
Photo by: Crash Kamon
Woolery’s Walk-Off Blast Completes Super Comeback Win over South Carolina
May 24, 2025 | Softball
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Junior Jordan Woolery hit a walk-off two-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to lead the No. 9 seed UCLA softball team to a thrilling 5-4 come-from-behind victory over host South Carolina at Carolina Softball Stadium Saturday afternoon.
Trailing 4-1, the Bruins (53-11), playing as the designated home team, rallied for four runs in their final plate appearances to secure the largest seventh-inning comeback in UCLA postseason. Woolery's home run – her 23rd of the season – marked UCLA's first postseason walk-off homer since Rachel Garcia's three-run shot versus Washington in the 2019 Women's College World Series.
"I'm going to be honest with you, I've been doing this for a long time, and I love that (time when you are trailing)," said The Shelly Carlin UCLA Head Softball Coach Kelly Inouye-Perez. "Because, there is a strong belief in what we can do. You never want to put yourself in a position to have a game feel like it's out of your reach. I always have a saying, 'Give us one pitch, just one pitch. It's not about three outs or the bottom of the seventh or what the score is, give us one pitch and anything can happen.'"
UCLA will face South Carolina in a decisive game three tomorrow at 12 p.m. (PT). The win-or-go-home contest will be broadcast on ESPN2.
The epic seventh-inning rally started with a five-pitch walk drawn by pinch hitter Taylor Stephens against Gamecocks (44-16) reliever Jori Heard. Stephens entered the contest with just four at-bats on the season before. A strikeout to Sofia Mujica put one away for the Bruins' No. 9 hitter Kaitlyn Terry. After popping out to third base in the fifth in her first at-bat against Heard, Terry went first-pitch swinging and smoked a ball up the middle that split a massive gap between South Carolina's center fielder and right fielder who were playing a shift. Both defenders were slow reacting to the ball, allowing Stephens to score easily and Terry to wheel into third base with a triple with the top of the lineup due up.
UCLA's lead-off hitter Jessica Clements was rung up looking, bringing the Bruins to potentially their final out of the season. Senior Savannah Pola extended UCLA's life with an RBI single up the middle, cutting the deficit to just one run at 4-3. South Carolina head coach Ashley Chastain-Woodard made the move to bring the game's original starter, Sam Gress, back in the circle to face Bruins' RBI leader Jordan Woolery who was 0-for-6 with four strikeouts on the weekend entering her at-bat. After the substitution delay, Woolery took Gress' first offering since the fourth inning for a ride with a walk-off two-run bomb over the left field fence.
"Before, I had a lot of time to just think to myself," Woolery said about the approach to her at-bat. "I was praying before the bat. Bubba (Nickles-Camarena) said just be yourself and God's got you and I think I really took that to heart. Coach (Inouye-Perez) always says the game comes back around. I've had a rough two days, so trusting that eventually is going to come through and I just wanted to have my teammates' backs today."
UCLA starting pitcher Taylor Tinsley (15-4) threw all 7.0 innings, allowed two earned runs and struck out seven Gamecocks to earn the complete-game victory. Junior first baseman Megan Grant was the only Bruin to finish with multiple hits, going 2-for-3.
South Carolina acquired its largest lead of the game in the sixth inning, 4-1, but squandered an opportunity to deliver the dagger thanks to a mental miscue by sophomore Karley Shelton. With one out and the bases loaded, Shelton rolled over a grounder to Pola at second base who threw home for the force out. Shelton, after reaching first base on the fielder's choice, lost track of the outs and walked into her first-base side dugout, thus leaving the field of play and ruling her out with an inning-ending double play.
Tinsley provided a key shutout inning in the top of the seventh after letting two batters reach on a comebacker and hit-by-pitch. Tinsley hit a career-high four batters total in her outing.
Mujica broke UCLA's silence of four shutout innings thanks to a solo homer to right-center field with one out in the fifth.
Trailing 4-1, the Bruins (53-11), playing as the designated home team, rallied for four runs in their final plate appearances to secure the largest seventh-inning comeback in UCLA postseason. Woolery's home run – her 23rd of the season – marked UCLA's first postseason walk-off homer since Rachel Garcia's three-run shot versus Washington in the 2019 Women's College World Series.
"I'm going to be honest with you, I've been doing this for a long time, and I love that (time when you are trailing)," said The Shelly Carlin UCLA Head Softball Coach Kelly Inouye-Perez. "Because, there is a strong belief in what we can do. You never want to put yourself in a position to have a game feel like it's out of your reach. I always have a saying, 'Give us one pitch, just one pitch. It's not about three outs or the bottom of the seventh or what the score is, give us one pitch and anything can happen.'"
JORDAN WOOLERY WALK-OFF HOMER TO STAVE OFF ELIMINATION!!
— UCLA Softball (@UCLASoftball) May 24, 2025
BRUINS NEVER SAY DIE!! pic.twitter.com/XlTlJ4qjmt
UCLA will face South Carolina in a decisive game three tomorrow at 12 p.m. (PT). The win-or-go-home contest will be broadcast on ESPN2.
The epic seventh-inning rally started with a five-pitch walk drawn by pinch hitter Taylor Stephens against Gamecocks (44-16) reliever Jori Heard. Stephens entered the contest with just four at-bats on the season before. A strikeout to Sofia Mujica put one away for the Bruins' No. 9 hitter Kaitlyn Terry. After popping out to third base in the fifth in her first at-bat against Heard, Terry went first-pitch swinging and smoked a ball up the middle that split a massive gap between South Carolina's center fielder and right fielder who were playing a shift. Both defenders were slow reacting to the ball, allowing Stephens to score easily and Terry to wheel into third base with a triple with the top of the lineup due up.
UCLA's lead-off hitter Jessica Clements was rung up looking, bringing the Bruins to potentially their final out of the season. Senior Savannah Pola extended UCLA's life with an RBI single up the middle, cutting the deficit to just one run at 4-3. South Carolina head coach Ashley Chastain-Woodard made the move to bring the game's original starter, Sam Gress, back in the circle to face Bruins' RBI leader Jordan Woolery who was 0-for-6 with four strikeouts on the weekend entering her at-bat. After the substitution delay, Woolery took Gress' first offering since the fourth inning for a ride with a walk-off two-run bomb over the left field fence.
"Before, I had a lot of time to just think to myself," Woolery said about the approach to her at-bat. "I was praying before the bat. Bubba (Nickles-Camarena) said just be yourself and God's got you and I think I really took that to heart. Coach (Inouye-Perez) always says the game comes back around. I've had a rough two days, so trusting that eventually is going to come through and I just wanted to have my teammates' backs today."
UCLA starting pitcher Taylor Tinsley (15-4) threw all 7.0 innings, allowed two earned runs and struck out seven Gamecocks to earn the complete-game victory. Junior first baseman Megan Grant was the only Bruin to finish with multiple hits, going 2-for-3.
South Carolina acquired its largest lead of the game in the sixth inning, 4-1, but squandered an opportunity to deliver the dagger thanks to a mental miscue by sophomore Karley Shelton. With one out and the bases loaded, Shelton rolled over a grounder to Pola at second base who threw home for the force out. Shelton, after reaching first base on the fielder's choice, lost track of the outs and walked into her first-base side dugout, thus leaving the field of play and ruling her out with an inning-ending double play.
Tinsley provided a key shutout inning in the top of the seventh after letting two batters reach on a comebacker and hit-by-pitch. Tinsley hit a career-high four batters total in her outing.
Mujica broke UCLA's silence of four shutout innings thanks to a solo homer to right-center field with one out in the fifth.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Tinsley, Taylor (15-4)
L: S. Gress (14-10)
Batting:
RBI: Q. Lilio 1 ; L. Winters 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Q. Lilio 2 ; K. Shelton 1 ; Blankenship 1
HBP: K. Shelton 1 ; Blankenship 1 ; A. Knight 1 ; M. Flindt 1

Batting:
3B: Terry, Kaitlyn 1
HR: Woolery, Jordan 1 ; Mujica, Sofia 1
RBI: Pola, Savannah 1 ; Woolery, Jordan 2 ; Mujica, Sofia 1 ; Terry, Kaitlyn 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Pola, Savannah 1 ; Woolery, Jordan 1 ; Stephens, Taylor 1 ; Mujica, Sofia 1 ; Terry, Kaitlyn 1
HBP: Clements, Jessica 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
Players Mentioned
UCLA Softball Postgame - Coach Inouye-Perez & Players, vs. Tennessee (June 1, 2025)
Sunday, June 01
UCLA Softball Postgame - Coach Inouye-Perez & Players, vs. Texas Tech (May 31, 2025)
Saturday, May 31
Highlights - UCLA Softball vs. Oregon (May 29, 2025)
Thursday, May 29
UCLA Softball Postgame - Coach Inouye-Perez & Players, vs. Oregon (May 29, 2025)
Thursday, May 29