Opening weeks often start sluggishly.

But Bruin softball has burst into the season with fire.

In its first game following a two-game sweep of then-No. 22 Ohio State, No. 7 UCLA softball (37-5, 9-1 Big Ten) routed Cal Baptist (17-23, 5-7 WAC) on Tuesday night, earning a 10-1 run-rule victory in five innings at Funk Stadium in Riverside. The Bruins tallied their fifth run-rule win in the last six games, extending their season total to 23 – a program record.

“Just proud of my girls,” said coach Kelly Inouye-Perez. “Midweeks are not easy, and they came in and took care of business early.”

With most matchups stacked closer to the weekend, junior utility Megan Grant said it’s imperative to keep the foot on the gas even on a school night.

“Sometimes, the midweek games could end up being a trap, as coach always says,” Grant said. “But we just went out there, and we stuck to our game plan.”

UCLA’s night was highlighted by a first inning two-run blast by junior infielder Jordan Woolery. The Bruins followed up Woolery’s hit with a seven-run third, spearheaded by a Grant grand slam. It was her second grand slam in three games – and UCLA’s sixth grand slam of the season.

“I can’t tell you in the history of the sport how many people can hit two grand slams within a week’s time,” Inouye-Perez said. “To hit one is one thing. To hit two is just being dialed into the game. Megan did a great job of getting a good pitch to hit.”

Grant and Woolery rank first and second in the Big Ten in home runs this season, with 18 and 17, respectively.

UCLA almost emptied its bullpen Tuesday night, cycling through nearly its entire pitching arsenal on defense. Freshman pitcher/utility Addisen Fisher opened for the Bruins, tossing the first two innings while allowing just one hit. Sophomore pitcher/outfielder Kaitlyn Terry checked in for the third and fourth innings before senior pitcher Jada Cecil held Cal Baptist to zero runs in the final frame.

The Bruins’ defense nearly held the Lancers scoreless, tallying their lone run off of a single to right field in the top of the fourth inning.

“(Senior utility Savannah Pola) Savvy Pola was locked on tonight. She made some great plays at second base, the outfield,” Inouye-Perez said. “You got to see three different pitchers tonight. Those are things that are always great to have.”

The synergy between the offense and defense provided the Bruins a greater degree of freedom, particularly in the circle.

“The amount of trust I can put in this team’s offense to go out and pitch freely … it’s easy to be able to trust that the offense is going to do their job, and it allows me to go out and do my job a lot better,” Fisher said.

This team-wide confidence has unlocked the squad’s full potential in both facets of the game, making UCLA a formidable opponent on both ends.

“When we are connecting on all cylinders, there really is no stopping us,” Grant said. “And I think these past games we’ve shown ourselves that we can do both, and we can do it consistently.”

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