Two weeks into April, UCLA softball has begun to rewrite the script on what had the makings of a less-than-ideal season.
For the first two months, the Bruins’ immense potential was hampered by inconsistency in the circle and the field. Now, they appear to have gained a newfound vitality in April.
After stealing a series victory away from then-No. 4 Oregon, No. 13 UCLA (25-11-1, 7-3-1 Pac-12) returned home to take three games from Stanford (13-20, 0-9 Pac-12), completing the sweep Monday night with a 2-1 win.
“The Oregon series completely just changed our mentality and we kind of just got this new level of confidence,” said junior shortstop Delaney Spaulding. “We saw it firsthand that we are a capable team of going to the (Women’s College) World Series.”
The Bruins’ confidence from the Oregon series carried over into the game against Stanford, as the offense was able to produce runs with ease in the first two games.
Easton Stadium’s new scoreboard saw its fair share of work as both groups combined to score 22 runs on Saturday. In a back-and-forth game, UCLA rallied in the bottom of the sixth, scoring eight runs behind the bats of senior third baseman Mysha Sataraka and sophomore second baseman Kylee Perez to secure a 13-9 victory.
The next night, the Bruins picked up right where they left off Saturday, spraying the ball around the yard and scoring at will. While the offense continued to click, sophomore Johanna Grauer put together her best outing of her season, pitching a complete-game shutout as UCLA went on to mercy rule Stanford 8-0 after six innings.
“Johanna pitching-wise had an outstanding performance,” said coach Kelly Inouye-Perez. “She just executed pitches and did a great job getting the shutout.”
Monday night, the Bruins’ offensive machine came to halt as sophomore Selina Ta’amilo found herself locked in a pitching duel with Cardinal freshman Carolyn Lee.
With the game knotted up 1-1 in the bottom of the fifth inning, Spaulding laced a ball into the gap in right center to drive in Perez and give UCLA a one-run lead.
On a night when she was dealing, this run was all Ta’amilo needed as she shut down Stanford over the final two innings to give the Bruins a 2-1 win.
The sweep of Stanford, coming off the Oregon series, is a huge statement for a UCLA team that is now second place in the Pac-12, only behind Oregon. The team is now hoping it can carry its pitching and offensive momentum into its series with a seventh-place Oregon State
“I think we’re definitely picking up momentum going into Oregon state this weekend,” Grauer said.
After a rocky start to Pac-12 play, the Bruins appear to have hit their stride behind upperclassmen like Spaulding – who drove in five runs this series – and senior Alexis Bennett, who was an anchor for them in centerfield.
“We have gotten better and everyone knows it,” Inouye-Perez said. “We’re going to continue to do this and hit ourselves into the postseason and make a real good run for it.”
The Bruins’ midweek game this week is against CSUN at home on Wednesday.