Wildcat pitcher Aissa Silva was perfect through four innings behind a comfortable seven-run lead.

But Megan Grant and the Bruins weren’t about to allow Silva to go the distance.

“The girls were talking about that,” said coach Kelly Inouye-Perez. “They were like, ‘Let’s break up the no-hitter.'”

The sophomore utility blasted a home run to center field, putting her team on the board. The Bruins proceeded to score six more – punctuated by a grand slam from redshirt senior catcher Sharlize Palacios – to tie the game.

And by the end of the day, No. 6 UCLA softball (30-10, 14-4 Pac-12) scored 11 unanswered runs against No. 20 Arizona (32-15-1, 13-11) to claim an 11-7 win on Senior Day and take the series in the largest comeback in program history. Senior utility Thessa Malau’ulu completed the comeback in the sixth inning with a go-ahead RBI single.

Before the game began, freshman pitcher Kaitlyn Terry was called upon to step into the circle at the last minute after Inouye-Perez decided to swap sophomore Taylor Tinsley out.

Terry struggled through the first three innings, surrendering seven runs including two home runs. But after the Wildcats struck seven of their nine hits in the first three innings, Terry stopped the bleeding.

“KT’s not going to go down without a fight,” Palacios said. “She’s a competitor to her core.”

The freshman put up back-to-back zeroes in the fourth and fifth, setting the stage for UCLA’s hitters to erase a 7-0 deficit.

After Grant’s homer, redshirt senior shortstop Maya Brady continued the scoring with a two-run double before graduate student outfielder Jadelyn Allchin was hit by a pitch to load the bases.

“From Megan opening the floodgates, everyone got to be a part,” Inouye-Perez said. “That’s huge.”

Palacios’ long ball kicked off celebrations for the Bruins – the grand slam marking the redshirt senior catcher’s 13th RBI in the past five games against her former team.

In one inning, the Bruins had reversed a seven-run deficit.

“It’s kind of a relief,” Terry said. “I feel like I had to do everything, but they just came out and settled in and hit the ball.”

UCLA added four more runs in the sixth inning, providing insurance that Inouye-Perez said is always needed against Arizona.

“I’m exhausted but thrilled beyond belief. I’m just proud at the end of the day,” Inouye-Perez said. “The story doesn’t get any better than this.”

Having secured the victory, UCLA’s Senior Day festivities continued in full force. A member of Janelle Meoño’s family ran up and down the stands with a cardboard cutout of her face, exciting the crowd after the redshirt senior outfielder scored the Bruins’ 11th run.

Six graduates participated in the celebrations, each one with their number painted on the field and their family in attendance. The first pitch of the day was thrown out by each player’s mom.

“Being able to have that moment with my mom and my dad, it made me cry,” Palacios said. “It’s just a full circle moment of all the hard work and sacrifice that they’ve put into me.”