A leadoff hitter’s goal is often just to reach base.
But Rylee Slimp is not like most leadoff hitters.
No. 7 UCLA softball (44-5, 19-2 Big Ten) defeated No. 22 Washington (34-15, 15-6) 9-1 Sunday in the final game of the squads’ weekend series to complete the sweep.
But despite the dominant finish, the Bruins did not start off hot.
UCLA went three-up-three-down in the top of the first, including one of Washington’s four strikeouts throughout the game. But senior pitcher Taylor Tinsley, who boasts the second-most victories in the country with a 25-3 record, closed out the bottom of the first with two strikeouts of her own.
Tinsley has shown consistency throughout the season, boasting a team-low 2.60 ERA. She recorded seven strikeouts and allowed just five hits in the game against the Huskies.
“It’s just keeping a routine and making sure that I’m focused on my plan and what I’m going to do,” Tinsley said. “Me and Lefty (redshirt junior catcher Alexis Ramirez) work really well together, with her pitch-calling for me and us collabing throughout the whole weekend.”
The first run for UCLA came in the top of the second. Washington pitcher Morgan Reimer had walked three batters in a row, loading the bases for junior utility Soo-Jin Berry.
A sacrifice pop-fly brought redshirt freshman infielder Aleena Garcia home, marking her 49th run of the season, and gave the Bruins a lead they kept for the rest of the game.
After a scoreless bottom of the second for Washington, two more walks and an error helped plate two UCLA runs. Slimp and senior utility Megan Grant recorded their first runs of the game off a groundout from senior infielder Jordan Woolery and a hit from Garcia, respectively.
Tinsley and the Bruin defense solidified the 3-0 lead with a three-up-three-down bottom of the third. Washington, which hits .327 on the season, was held to a batting average of .234 across the weekend.
The Bruins hit at a .387 clip, the third-highest in the nation, and have five hitters who boast .400-plus clips. This makes it difficult for teams to set a pitching strategy against them, as shown by the Huskies’ nine walks and four strikeouts.
“The coaching staff and the players take a lot of pride in being able to touch first base,” said coach Kelly Inouye-Perez. “They’ll find any way to get to first base. Patience is a big part of why our numbers have been so great with the extra base hits. It’s because they’re patient and they’re getting the pitches that they want to hit instead of just swinging to be able to try to get home runs.”
The squad’s lead was extended in the top of the fourth after Slimp batted in freshman utility Jolyna Lamar to record its fourth run of the game. But the Huskies responded, recording an RBI double to score their first and only run of the game. Still, Tinsley concluded the inning with two strikeouts.
And then the Bruin bats caught fire.
Freshman infielder Bri Alejandre advanced to third off a fielding error while also plating Garcia for the first run of the fifth inning. Lamar followed it up two batters later with a single that sent Alejandre home.
Alejandre, Garcia and Lamar are all batting above .330 and have combined for 45 home runs. Alejandre and Garcia have started every game, and Lamar worked her way into the starting lineup around the beginning of Big Ten play.
With players on first and second base, Slimp stepped up to the plate once more.
A hit over the left field fence brought in three runs and marked Slimp’s 11th home run of the season. The Georgetown, Texas, local hits at a .452 clip and has recorded 81 runs, a program record and the second-highest run mark in the country.
“Slimp is an amazing leadoff, and she really sets the tone for us,” Lamar said. “I’m happy to be able to do my job, to hit on-base at the end of the lineup, so she can do her thing.”
The squad ended the game with a 9-1 victory, completing its first series sweep against a ranked opponent this season.
UCLA will face No. 14 Oregon in a series May 1 to 3, the last regular-season series for the Westwood squad before the Big Ten tournament starts May 6.
“They don’t really know anything about a lot of these opponents, and that’s working to our advantage,” Inouye-Perez said. “They don’t get too high or too low. They don’t really know what to expect, so they just show up and play.”
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