UCLA softball remains undefeated with win over Michigan
Freshman shortstop Delaney Spaulding knocked in a walk-off three-run home run in extra innings to give UCLA a 4-1 win over Michigan. (Joseph Chan/Daily Bruin)
By Bianca Hock
March 5, 2014 2:05 a.m.
No. 3 UCLA softball opened and closed Tuesday night’s makeup softball
game with homers in its victory against No. 4 Michigan, securing the Bruins’ perfect 17-0 record.
The “rain or shine” motto could not be applied to UCLA last weekend.
The Bruins’ four games scheduled for Friday and Saturday as part of the Long Beach Louisville Slugger Invitational were canceled due to rain.
Tuesday night’s game against the Michigan Wolverines was the first rescheduled game to take place.
UCLA may have been rained out all weekend, but the Bruins looked far from under the weather Tuesday night. In fact, coach Kelly Inouye-Perez said the Bruins came ready to play hard softball.
“Michigan is a quality team (so) we were hoping to experience something that was going to help this team get better,” Inouye-Perez said.
Senior pitcher Jessica Hall, who started in the circle against the Wolverines, scored the Bruins’ first run of the game in the bottom of the second with a home run.
Following the quick offensive start, however, the Bruin offense flatlined and UCLA’s count remained at one throughout most of the game.
Hall said that her opening home run did not get a Bruin rally going because of a successful Wolverine off-speed pitch.
“We were struggling picking up (the pitcher’s) off-speed (pitch),” Hall said. “That tends to be our weakness if we’re not recognizing it.”
With just a one-point lead, the Bruins had to make up for their lack of offensive action on the field with defense.
With the bases loaded, junior left fielder Tara Mueller made a crucial catch preventing the Wolverines from scoring in the top of the fourth.
Michigan entered the seventh inning against UCLA with a zero in the score column. The Wolverines fought for a comeback and hit their fourth double of the game to tie reach a 1-1 tie, taking the battle into extra innings.
In the bottom of the eighth, Mueller and junior pitcher Ally Carda were in scoring position when freshman shortstop Delaney Spaulding entered the batter’s box.
“I just wanted to close out the game,” Spaulding said.
And close it, she did.
Spaulding drove in Mueller and Carda with a clutch three-run walk-off, securing UCLA’s perfect record in a 4-1 win over Michigan.
The Bruins face the Wolverines at home again Wednesday at 7 p.m.
