Wildcats can occasionally be seen high up in trees.

But only Megan Grant’s home run ball could be spotted in the canopies Friday night.

“There’s been some pretty big bombs,” said coach Kelly Inouye-Perez. “But that was a big one.”

Aided by the sophomore utility’s home run, No. 6 UCLA softball (29-9, 13-3 Pac-12) defeated No. 20 Arizona (31-14-1, 12-10) by a score of 10-2 in a five-inning walk-off victory. After picking up five hits, including three doubles, in the sweep over Stanford, Grant’s bat remained hot.

Grant – batting lead-off for the second consecutive game – opened the game with a loud line drive that was caught in center field.

After her at-bat, Grant stopped to talk to redshirt senior shortstop Maya Brady, who was up next in the order.

Brady said Grant was relaying information about the pitcher and umpire that she gathered in her first trip to the plate.

“It’s super important,” Brady said. “That’s how you kind of get the feel of the umpire and kind of what they’re (opposing pitchers are) doing, and thankfully for me and Megan, we’re both lefty and so it makes it easy.”

Brady stepped up to the plate and lifted a fly ball over the left field wall for her team-leading 12th home run of the year.

Round trips around the bases have come often for Brady throughout her time as a Bruin. In just 12 games against the Wildcats, she has tallied nine home runs to go along with 18 RBIs.

In the second inning, the bottom of the order, senior utility Thessa Malau’ulu, redshirt senior infielder Seneca Curo and redshirt senior outfielder Janelle Meoño loaded the bases with nobody out.

“The team is looking like fire right now,” Grant said. “The fact that all of us are firing on all cylinders is amazing.”

A single from Brady brought two more runs home, adding to her RBI. Redshirt senior catcher Sharlize Palacios and graduate student outfielder Jadelyn Allchin each drove in a run of their own, giving the Bruins a 5-0 advantage after two frames.

Sophomore pitcher Taylor Tinsley, the reigning National Fastpitch Coaches Association, D1 Softball and Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week, picked up where she left off, striking out four Arizona batters in the first two innings.

In the third, the Wildcats clawed back, as two unearned runs against Tinsley snapped her 20.2 inning scoreless streak.

Despite an error credited to Malau’ulu, UCLA’s defense made plays to keep runs off of the board for Arizona.

Later in the same inning, Malau’ulu made a lunging catch with runners at the corners to get Tinsley out of the jam, and Allchin made a leaping catch up against the wall later in the game.

“Defense wins championships,” Brady said. “We see them doing that every day in practice, so for us, it’s no surprise.”

After allowing the Wildcats to crawl within three runs, Grant responded in the bottom half of the third inning with her mammoth shot toward Sunset Boulevard off of pitcher Miranda Stoddard, the Wildcats’ third pitcher of the night.

A stolen base by Allchin compounded with a single from sophomore infielder Jordan Woolery restored the Bruins’ five run advantage.

After a scoreless fifth inning from freshman pitcher Kaitlyn Terry, the Bruins headed back into the dugout having scored in each of the game’s first four frames – a trend they would continue.

Walks from Curo and Grant, followed by a single courtesy of Palacios, set the table for Allchin to send the sold-out crowd home early.

A triple down the right field line drove in the game’s final two runs as the Bruins built an eight-run lead for the run-rule victory – Allchin’s third walk-off in her first year as a Bruin.

“She has taken over a role, and has filled it and has exceeded expectations,” said Inouye-Perez. “It’s not just her offense, it’s her defense too.”