The stakes will be high in the Los Angeles Super Regional this weekend at Easton Stadium as the UCLA softball team hosts Central Florida with a trip to the Women’s College World Series on the line.
Read more Judge bars certain evidence from trial of man accused of sparking Palisades fire
UCLA (50-8) will take on the Golden Knights (41-17-1) in a three-game series beginning with Game 1 on Friday and Game 2 on Saturday, respectively. If necessary, the Bruins will host Game 3 on Sunday.
It’s a battle between a blue blood and an underdog. The Bruins have made 36 Women’s College World Series appearances, while the Golden Knights will be making just their second appearance in a Super Regional.
The Bruins defeated California Baptist and then South Carolina twice to win the Los Angeles Regional. It wasn’t easy for the Bruins as CBU had them on the ropes in the opening game before an epic, late-game comeback sealed the 12-11 win.
UCF upset in-state rival Florida State in the Tallahassee Regional to secure its spot in the Super Regionals. The Seminoles took the first game from UCF, but the Golden Knights kept their season alive with a 4-2 win to move on.
UCLA’s star-studded duo
It’s hard to talk about UCLA softball and not mention the historic record-breaking duo of Jordan Woolery and Megan Grant.
A big part of UCLA’s résumé as a national title contender lies in their explosive offense, which is led by Woolery and Grant as the Bruins set an NCAA single-season record with 193 home runs this year.
Woolery, the Softball America National Player of the Year, collected four hits in the regionals, with three of them coming in the win over CBU. She had four RBIs, one home run, and one walk in the three-game span.
Grant, the NCAA single-season home-run record holder, brought her season total up to 40 in the regionals. She launched two balls out of Easton Stadium against South Carolina and was walked four times in the CBU win.
The Golden Knights will be mixing in a rotation of arms in the circle like starters Isabella Vega (18-9) and Ava Stuewe (7-4) to try to limit the Bruins’ offense.
Read more TSA now says air travelers can bring medical marijuana on flights
Youth revolution in Westwood
UCLA’s offense is powered by the production of their talented senior duo, but it doesn’t rely on them. The Bruins have a deep batting order that features several starters with more than 60 RBIs, including Aleena Garcia and Bri Alejandre
A first team All-Big Ten selection, Garcia has been a force of nature in her first season back from injury. The Whittier Christian product has set the tone for the Bruins in the middle part of the order. She’s batting .362 with 19 home runs and 61 RBIs in 58 starts as a redshirt freshman.
Another 58-game starter for UCLA, Alejandre has been an on-base machine in her first season with the Bruins. A freshman hailing from Los Altos High, Alejandre carries a .322 average with 22 home runs and 72 RBIs.
In their first taste of postseason experience, the two underclassmen delivered. Alejandre racked up four hits and four RBIs, while Garcia had three hits and five RBIs on the weekend.
“The younger ones bring so much out of me, especially as a senior,” Grant said after their 15-1 win over South Carolina to capture the regional. “A lot of it is very contagious, you kind of wanna match their energy too. They’ve brought so much fun to the group.”
Ace up the Bruins’ sleeve
The Bruins relied heavily on the arm of Taylor Tinsley (30-6) in the regionals and will again count on their All-Big Ten selection against the Golden Knights.
Tinsley started all three games of the regionals, but did most of her damage in the two games against South Carolina. She allowed only nine hits and three runs across 13 innings against the Gamecocks to help the Bruins advance.
In a best-of-three series, UCLA coach Kelly Inouye-Perez will need two great outings from Tinsley in order to advance to the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City for a third consecutive year.
“I’m very proud of Taylor’s resilience. Just the ability to do whatever she can to help this team. She got stronger through the [Los Angeles Regional],” Inouye-Perez said. “That’s good news for us.”
Read more Horse racing: Michael McCarthy looks strong again at Santa Anita
NCAA LOS ANGELES SUPER REGIONAL
Who: UCLA (50-8) vs. Central Florida (41-17-1)
Game 1: 6 p.m. Friday (ESPNU)
Game 2: 7 p.m. Saturday (ESPN)
Game 3: Sunday (time and TV TBD, if necessary)
Where: Easton Stadium, Westwood
[related_artiles location=”left” show_article_date=”false” article_type=”automatic-primary-section”]