The Bruins took one step toward a national championship Friday night.

Behind a complete game from sophomore pitcher Taylor Tinsley and redshirt senior catcher Sharlize Palacios’ multi-home run performance, No. 6 seed UCLA softball (42-10, 17-4 Pac-12) cruised past No. 11 seed Georgia (43-19, 12-12 SEC) by a score of 6-1 and punched its ticket to the Women’s College World Series.

Tinsley and freshman pitcher Kaitlyn Terry – who gave up a combined seven runs in February’s loss to Georgia – only yielded one run across 13 innings of super regional action.

“I’ve seen Taylor and KT (Terry) do great things in travel ball. I’ve seen them do great things in high school. They put the teams on their back,” said coach Kelly Inouye-Perez. “I’m really proud because they’re right where we need them to be at the right time.”

In a repeat of Thursday’s game, UCLA struck first and redshirt senior shortstop Maya Brady was involved in the team’s first three runs of the night. Brady walked on four pitches and promptly stole second – her first of two steals – before Palacios lasered an RBI single off the wall.

Tinsley, however, could not hold the lead as catcher Lyndi Rae Davis knocked in a run for the Bulldogs, knotting the game at one.

The Bruins responded quickly, regaining the lead in the second. Senior utility Thessa Malau’ulu slammed a single off the left-center field wall and reached third on a sacrifice bunt and a wild pitch. Brady drove her in with a ground ball up the middle, opening up a 2-1 advantage.

“It’s definitely the comfort feeling to know that our offense is going to have our backs,” Tinsley said. “Me and KT, we definitely know that we’re going to get it done, but just to know that Shar, Maya, everybody else in the lineup, they’re definitely going to have us.”

Tinsley worked quick in the second and third innings, inducing weak contact from the Georgia hitters and holding the lead at one. Meanwhile, the Bruins’ offense struggled to add on, stranding seven through the first three innings.

But in the fourth frame, they broke through.

A leadoff single from Brady turned into two runs courtesy of an opposite-field blast from Palacios – her fourth of the tournament – to open up a 4-1 lead.

Tinsley kept the Bulldogs at bay with a nine-pitch fourth inning, assisted by the defense in the outfield. For the second time in as many days, graduate student outfielder Jadelyn Allchin flashed the leather, making a sliding catch to retire infielder Sara Mosley.

“Our outfield is kind of crazy,” Tinsley said.

The Bruins padded the lead again in the top of the fifth with the help of a pair of errors from Georgia’s defense.

Tinsley cruised through the bottom half for her fourth consecutive 1-2-3 inning, quickly getting her team back up to the dish.

And in the top of the sixth, Palacios launched another ball to nearly the same spot as her first homer of the night – for her team-leading 20th on the year – ballooning the UCLA lead to five.

A leadoff knock and steal of second by outfielder Dallis Goodnight – Georgia’s first baserunner since the first inning – was wiped out by Tinsley and the defense. A pair of strikeouts and a running, over-the-shoulder catch by redshirt senior infielder Seneca Curo stranded Goodnight at second to end the sixth.

A last-gasp base hit for Georgia opened the seventh, but it would not be enough, as Tinsley slammed the door shut with two strikeouts to end the Bulldogs’ season.

After failing to make it out of regionals last year, UCLA will make its return to Oklahoma City and the Women’s College World Series.

“I’m happy to be here with my girls. This is the team I want to take to OKC,” Palacios said. “This is the army I want to go toe-to-toe with anyone, and I can’t wait to finish up my career with these girls.”