It had been five years since UCLA softball had won a game in the Women’s College World Series.
It was only fitting that UCLA won 7-1 against an Oregon team that had so often served as a roadblock to the team’s success during that span.
The No. 7-seeded Bruins (51-10) were able to take advantage of early scoring opportunities and key miscues against the No. 2-seeded Ducks (51-7) in order to win their first Women’s College World Series game since 2010.
The tides of the game turned in the Bruins’ favor in the top of the sixth inning with two mistakes by the Ducks.
Leading 2-0, UCLA had two runners on base and two outs when Oregon’s right fielder Alyssa Gillespie dropped a pop-up hit by junior third baseman Mysha Sataraka. Instead of closing out the inning, the mistake allowed the Bruins to score two runners on the play, extending the lead to 4-0.
The second mistake came when Oregon catcher Janelle Lindvall was unable to handle a strikeout pitch on sophomore left fielder Gabrielle Maurice that would have ended the inning. Instead, Maurice was able to reach base, and the Bruins went on to score three more runs.
Compiled by Taylor Hollowell, Bruin Sports reporter.