Even the third-ranked team in the nation couldn’t stop the Bruins’ offense.
No. 2 UCLA softball (15-0) defeated No. 3 Florida (18-1) by a score of 7-1 behind career-high performances from sophomore pitcher Holly Azevedo in the circle and redshirt junior first baseman Rachel Garcia at the plate.
“I thought (Azevedo) would be a good match,” said coach Kelly Inouye-Perez. “And wow, she did a phenomenal job tonight. She really pitched the way (Azevedo) is capable of.”
The Bruins took the lead in the bottom of the first, as sophomore shortstop Briana Perez singled to start it off and advanced to second on a long foul out by junior outfielder Bubba Nickles. Perez was brought home by sophomore designated player Aaliyah Jordan on a double to the wall. Garcia would move Jordan over to third on a single, but both were left on.
After a 1-2-3 inning from Azevedo in the second, the Bruins added to their lead. A triple by sophomore infielder Kinsley Washington led to a run, as after freshman outfielder Kelli Godin walked and stole second, Perez followed with a single to score Washington. Garcia would then bring in both Godin and Perez on a single to make it a 4-0 lead.
Garcia struck again in the fourth inning with a three-run home run to bring in Perez and Nickles, who had tripled and walked, respectively. She finished 4-for-4 on the night with the home run and a sixth-inning triple to go along with a career-high five RBIs.
“I just stayed relaxed and focused on my breath,” Garcia said. “Every at-bat I took a second to think about my grandpa, who’s in the hospital right now. I just did it for him.”
Inouye-Perez pulled Azevedo in the top of the sixth inning after giving up a single and RBI double to make it 7-1, with freshman pitcher Megan Faraimo coming in to get the last six outs for her first save.
Azevedo struck out a career-high eight batters in five innings for the win, stranding six of the eight base runners she allowed.
“A lot of off-speed always keeps teams off, and I know Florida is notorious for rise balls, so down was really crucial,” Azevedo said. “It was just being connected with my catcher and the team having my back.”
UCLA had 12 hits from seven players, including the four hits from Garcia and three from Perez. The Bruins were also able to get at least one base runner in every inning, a feat that Inouye-Perez attributes to the team’s mentality of winning every frame.
“I told them before the game that this was going to be a dog fight, and they did an outstanding job,” Inouye-Perez said. “They continued to throw punches and they never let up, and as a result both offensively and defensively we just executed great softball tonight.”
The Bruins will stay in Fullerton, California, this weekend for the rest of the Judi Garman Classic, starting with another matchup against Florida on Friday.
“We’ve definitely set the standard, and now we’ve got to set it higher,” Garcia said. “I think as long as we go into Friday’s game like we did today, I think that we’ll be this good.”