The No. 8-ranked ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ softball team showed it could only slow down No. 2 UCLA on Friday.
After the Bruins “manhandled†the Wildcats, as coach Mike Candrea put it, Thursday night, pitcher Hanah Bowen ably fended off a slew of challenges in Friday’s first game. She escaped a bases-loaded one-out jam in the second inning and kept the Bruins off the scoreboard until the sixth. But going through the powerful Bruin lineup a third time proved too much.
UCLA’s Rachel Garcia ended the shutout with a two-run blast to left-center, and after a sacrifice fly from Anna Vines, Delanie Wisz essentially put the game away with a towering three-run shot to the parking lot behind center field. ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Dejah Mulipola’s two-run blast in the seventh proved to be too little, too late, as UCLA took the first game 6-2.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ won the second game, which doesn’t count in the Pac-12 standings, by the score of 5-1.
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ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s third baseman Malia Martinez (17) can't get the tag down in time as UCLA's Briana Perez (3) slips under for a stolen base in the seventh inning of their Pac 12 game at Hillenbrand Stadium, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., May 14, 2021.
Megan Faraimo deserves much of the credit for UCLA’s win. Aside from Mulipola’s team-leading 16th homer of the season, she cruised through the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ lineup, recording nine strikeouts to improve to 13-3. Perhaps one bright side is she couldn’t continue Garcia’s success against the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ seniors. After that group went 1 for 9 with two strikeouts Thursday, they responded in Friday’s first game.
Mulipola, Jessie Harper, Reyna Carranco, and Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza each recorded a hit, and Palomino-Cardoza’s double to right-field caused the UCLA faithful to share some nervous glances. Eventually, the hole proved too much to climb out of, and ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s missed opportunities early loomed large as Bowen held her ground inning after inning.
In that sense it was similar to Bowen’s start in last week’s 2-0 loss to No. 11 Oregon. Bowen carried a perfect game into the seventh inning only to let up a two-run walk-off bomb.
This time, UCLA did a bit more damage, but it is worth considering whether Bowen carrying a lead of some sort would have made a difference. Bowen finished the game with a six earned runs on nine hits, both season highs, one walk and one hit batter. She had three strikeouts, but her ERA increased to 2.04, the first time this season it has crossed the 2.00 mark.
By virtue of winning the first game, UCLA got to celebrate its 11th Pac-12 Championship. ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ has had just one conference title since 2007, in 2017.
