Led by strong performances all over the field, the Bruins prevailed with their second run-rule victory in as many midweek games.
No. 2 UCLA softball (40-4, 15-3 Pac-12) defeated Long Beach State (21-19, 11-4 Big West) on Wednesday at the LBSU Softball Complex by a score of 10-0 after only five innings. The game marks the Bruins’ 13th win in a row, having completed a sweep over Arizona three days prior.
The Bruins’ performance Wednesday night was highlighted by Taylor Tinsley, who threw her second complete game of the season. The freshman pitcher only allowed three baserunners with an error in the first inning, a walk in the third, and then a loss of her no-hitter on a single in the fifth.
Tinsley is now 6-1 on the season with a 1.37 ERA and 46 strikeouts compared to only 6 walks. She also was extremely efficient on the evening, throwing 65 pitches in the five-inning shutout.
Taylor said her success comes from her partnership within her battery.
“My catcher and I really dialed in this game,” Tinsley said. “We had a good plan for what we were going to throw to each batter, and we executed the plan extremely well to get the win.”
On the offensive side of things, the Bruins’ bats stayed very much alive, leading them to score over six runs for the eighth straight game. UCLA was led by redshirt junior catcher Sharlize Palacios, who hit a solo home run to lead off the second inning and open the scoring.
Palacios now has home runs in three straight games, alongside 10 home runs on the season and 32 runs batted in. She is now second on the team in home runs and fourth in RBIs and total bases.
Palacios said finding the right pitches has been key to her success at the plate as of late.
“I have been seeing the ball really well lately,” Palacios said. “When I focus on what pitch I want to hit, I am able to have a solid approach and get the results I want at the plate each time.”
Along with Palacios, four other Bruins had RBIs in the game, with freshman utility Kennedy Powell securing three of her own to go along with two hits.
Associate head coach Kirk Walker said the team’s mindset going up to the plate has been a considerable source of its success.
“One thing that has been very successful for us so far has been our ability with two strikes,” Walker said. “When you are confident battling with two strikes, then it frees you up earlier in the count to be more aggressive, and that has been a great trend for us during our win streak.”
After the win on Wednesday, the Bruins will take on Arizona State in their final home conference series this weekend, with the first game set for Friday.
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