UCLA softball evokes mercy rule for victory over Stanford
Sophomore Allexis Bennett is tied for the team lead in hits with 51. She had two Saturday night. (Ken Shin/Daily Bruin)
By Louie Greenwald
April 10, 2016 10:36 p.m.
After exploding offensively for a victory in the series opener, UCLA softball remained hot Sunday night against Stanford.
The No. 15 Bruins (24-11-1, 6-3-1 Pac-12) jumped out to an early lead and continued to pile on runs, eventually defeating the Cardinal 8-0 (13-19, 0-8 Pac-12) via the mercy rule after six innings.
UCLA got on the board in the first inning after senior outfielder Allexis Bennett scored on an illegal pitch.
Sophomore Johanna Grauer looked strong over her first two innings in the circle, setting down the first six batters she faced.
After a scoreless second inning, the Bruin offense came to life in the third when junior shortstop Delaney Spaulding crushed a two-run home run to right field to give UCLA a 3-0 lead.
In the middle innings, Grauer ran into some trouble, but the defense bailed her out.
Bennett ended the third inning by delivering a bullet of a throw from center to home to cut down a runner trying to score from second. Then in the fourth, after Grauer surrendered three hits to begin the inning and load the bases, senior third baseman Mysha Sataraka turned an infield fly into a double play, alleviating the threat and allowing Grauer to work out of trouble.
The Bruins scored three in the fourth behind base knocks from Bennett and Spaulding, and Grauer closed the door in the fifth and sixth innings, striking out two batters and only allowing two to reach base.
In the bottom of the sixth, UCLA added two more runs on a single by sophomore second baseman Kylee Perez to evoke the mercy rule and earn the victory.
Email Greenwald at [email protected] or tweet him @louiebgreenwald.
