UCLA softball bounces back from Oregon losses with 9-1 win over Fullerton
Junior third baseman Mysha Sataraka started a six-run rally in the bottom of the second inning with a two-run single. (Owen Emerson/Daily Bruin)
By Daily Bruin Staff
April 9, 2015 12:59 a.m.
It was business as usual for UCLA softball.
Though it previously came off a string of tough losses to Oregon over this past weekend, No. 8 UCLA (32-8, 6-3 Pac-12) appeared to be back on track Wednesday, routing Cal State Fullerton 9-1 in five innings.
The Bruins have a long road ahead as the season continues moving forward. Although the losses to the top-ranked Ducks (32-5, 10-2) over the weekend may have been tough to swallow, coach Kelly Inouye-Perez knew her team had an opportunity to bounce back with this midweek matchup against the unranked Titans.
“That’s what great teams do. The Pac-12 is a grind. I’m really proud of their resilience today,” Inouye-Perez said. “It’s not easy to play a game midweek.”
It appeared to be just another day in the office for the Bruins, who have now gone 26-1 against unranked opponents. The Bruins got on the board early on in the contest, sending 10 batters to the plate in the second inning en route to a six-run burst that started with a bases-loaded, two-run single by junior third baseman Mysha Sataraka. From there on out, the Bruins were on cruise control.
“It felt good. I’m glad those people could get on before me because that’s what made it happen, so props to them and for everyone else behind me for keeping the rally going,” Sataraka said.
The Bruins added another run in the fourth inning on a bases-loaded walk, and two more to end the contest the following inning on a Jelly Felix two-run line-drive home run that cleared the left-field wall in about three seconds.
In the circle, UCLA’s ace and primary starter, senior Ally Carda, took the day off after starting all three games in the Oregon series. Taking Carda’s place in the circle was freshman Johanna Grauer, who pitched four scoreless innings, surrendering only two hits and two walks. Fellow freshman Selina Ta’amilo came in to finish the game in the fifth, allowing the Titans (25-16, 3-3 Big West) to score an unearned run.
In this weekend’s three-game road series against Stanford (16-22, 1-8 Pac-12) the team faces what can be a tough environment to play in. The Bruins lost two out of three contests the last time they went up north to play their rival in 2013.
“We haven’t talked much about the environment up there,” said Grauer, a native of Pleasanton, which lies about 40 miles east of Stanford. “I’m excited because I’m from that area, so it’s kind of like a return home and a lot of my friends and family are there.”
Although the Cardinal are ranked last in the Pac-12 conference, Inouye-Perez said she knows that her team must stay focused moving forward to build off of their success.
“You gotta show up everyday and respect,” Inouye-Perez said. “We know one thing is if you look across the country, there’s nobody that is just undefeated. And so you gotta show up everyday and respect the game.”
