This post was updated April 29 at 10:45 p.m.
The Bruins brandished the brooms this weekend.
Even still, the sweep was far from clean.
With an undefeated three-game series win over Michigan (32-18, 9-10 Big Ten) at Carol Hutchins Stadium, No. 8 UCLA softball (45-7, 16-3) survived its last road series of the regular season. The Bruins earned a 5-3 victory Saturday night to take game one, followed by a nationally televised, extra-innings, nail-biter Sunday, where they escaped with a 4-3 win before closing things out Monday 12-8.
As the Bruins emerged unscathed from Ann Arbor, Michigan, their ability to consistently find ways to win in wire-to-wire contests and come-from-behind situations seems to be a testament of their poise under pressure – something that will bode well as the postseason nears.
“Pure mindset. They’re prepared. They’re in shape. But mindset allows you to be able to lock in and succeed in big moments,” said coach Kelly Inouye-Perez. “I told them that their ability to stay locked on in the moment and live in the now is something that I’m very proud of.”
In the series opener, UCLA posted three runs in the first two frames while holding Michigan scoreless through four innings. And junior infielder Jordan Woolery’s homer to left center field in the top of the fifth provided UCLA with a comfortable 4-0 lead.
But Michigan refused to be put down easily, roaring back with three straight runs in the fifth and sixth innings to cut the deficit to one. Despite the late surge, the Bruins were able to keep their composure. They fended off the Wolverines’ comeback attempt and capped the game off with a sacrifice fly out to right field in the seventh by freshman catcher/designated player Sofia Mujica, allowing junior utility Megan Grant to score the decisive run.
“The game isn’t decided in the first or early in the game,” Inouye-Perez said. “It’s not how you start – it’s definitely how you finish.”
The next contest appeared to epitomize her statement.
This time, it was Michigan who got ahead early in the bottom of the first inning with two runs before UCLA launched a rally. The Bruins scored three straight before the Wolverines eventually tied the game in the bottom of the second.
Staunch pitching defined the following five innings, as both squads were held scoreless throughout the rest of regulation.
On national television Sunday, the Bruins’ fire burned the brightest.
A short bouncing hit to left by redshirt sophomore catcher/utility Alexis Ramirez with bases loaded allowed junior utility Rylee Pinedo to score in the top of the eighth, eventually sealing the Wolverines’ fate.
In the finale, UCLA had to dig itself out of a deficit once again – this time by a four-run margin.
“We always define day three as ‘guts day,’ and it’s the team that’s the gutsiest that’s going to win,” Inouye-Perez said. “I’m so proud of this team’s ability to be resilient and find a way to win.”
UCLA’s comeback was punctuated by its final three runs of the game, products of back-to-back slams out of the park by Grant and freshman infielder/utility Kaniya Bragg. With the blast, Grant garnered her 23rd homer of the year while also combining for 142 RBIs with Woolery, tying for fourth most by two UCLA teammates in a single season.
“That little run we went on in the sixth inning … really solidified the game in terms of our energy,” Grant said. “We got the bats working, and everything just felt like it was going our way. That was probably my favorite moment.”
Not only were UCLA’s bats bruising, but its pitching staff served up scorching performances too, highlighted by junior pitcher Taylor Tinsley’s six strikeouts in as many innings Sunday and freshman pitcher/utility Addisen Fisher’s production in the second affair, where she gave up just one hit and recorded five strikeouts through four innings.
Fisher especially rose to the occasion, embracing the role of closing out in the circle every game in this series.
“Playing in the three-game series, when you see the same hitters for the third day in a row, there’s a lot of adjustments that can be made,” Inouye-Perez said. “So I really credit the pitchers for being able to adjust.”
But amid the talent teeming on the Bruins’ roster, Fisher said their minds took them across the finish line.
“No matter what, even if we’re down, even if we’re up, we’re never going to press, and we’re always going to keep playing our game and stay calm,” Fisher said.
UCLA will return to Easton Stadium on Wednesday evening to commence its final regular season homestand against Cal State Fullerton.
“Something about home is just special to all of us,” Grant said. “We can’t wait to be back, and we’re going to take all our energy into our next few upcoming games. We don’t have a lot left, so we’re going to give everything we’ve got.”
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