Speed, patience and timing.

Such traits are necessary to succeed in tight contests, especially during plate appearances with runners in scoring position or when making a dash home on a sacrifice groundout.

Sophomore outfielder Rylee Slimp embraced these mantras while succeeding in the latter, bringing No. 9 UCLA softball’s (30-5, 10-2 Big Ten) first run in as the squad defeated Hawaiʻi (16-15, 8-4 Big West) 9-5 Thursday at Easton Stadium. The back-and-forth victory vaulted the Bruins back into a familiar space – the win column – following a series loss to No. 4 Nebraska last weekend.

Slimp’s run – tying the game at one apiece – was scored without a base hit. After Hawaiʻi starting pitcher Millie Fidge hit Slimp with a pitch, the outfielder swiped second on a wild pitch and advanced to third and home through a sacrifice fly by senior utility Megan Grant and a groundout by senior infielder Jordan Woolery.

Yet while Slimp’s speed was likely the difference in getting the Bruins on the board, the team seemed out of sorts, since Hawaiʻi continued to put pressure on UCLA sophomore pitcher Brynne Nally early in the contest.

“We didn’t play to our standard today,” said 20-year coach Kelly Inouye-Perez, who recently became the 55th head coach in NCAA Division I history to win 900 games. “They came out strong, and we have to be better.”

Nally was able to limit the damage to three runs, but redshirt junior pitcher Sydney Somerndike replaced her midway through the third after Nally loaded the bases in the first and allowed at least two Rainbow Wahine runners on base in both the second and the third.

But as the Bruins have done numerous times this season, they dug in while facing a deficit.

After Hawaiʻi loaded the bases in the bottom of the third, Woolery spearheaded the Bruin offense with an RBI single, followed by a two-run double by sophomore infielder Kaniya Bragg that mounted a 4-3 UCLA lead. In the fourth, freshman utility/catcher Jazmine Leyva took the first pitch she saw deep to right field – her first home run in her collegiate career.

“It was awesome,” Leyva said. “I was looking for a good pitch and put my best swing on it.”

Woolery’s three-run bomb increased UCLA’s lead to 8-3 after Leyva’s initial blast. Woolery – who leads the nation with 71 RBIs – finished her afternoon going 3-for-4 with five RBIs.

“Jordan Woolery won us the game today,” Inouye-Perez said. “I’ve seen the ups and downs throughout her career, and her professionalism and excellence shines in everything she does. … She’s inspiring for the younger players on this team.”

While Hawaiʻi continued to put pressure on the Bruin defense – mustering a solo pinch-hit knock by infielder Briana Maio-Silva in the sixth and a bases-loaded situation in the top of the seventh – Somerndike pitched the Rainbow Wahine into a game-ending double play.

“I just focused on attacking the zone and keeping them off balance,” Somerndike said. “When things got tight, I just trusted my defense, and knowing that they had my back, I went right at them.”

Somerndike allowed one hit and two runs while striking out two across 67 pitches through 4.1 frames.

 

UCLA looks to take the lessons learned throughout this past week of competition and push forward toward the final third of its campaign.

“I’ve been telling the girls that these are good experiences,” Inouye-Perez said. “If you get to the postseason after being hot all year and you find yourself in these types of games, you’re not going to have the experience to fall back on, and you’re going to go nowhere.”

Back in the win column, the Bruins will look to carry that edge into their three-game series against Indiana this weekend at Easton Stadium.

“After we left Nebraska, I actually felt like we got a little closer,” Somerndike said. “We learned a lot about ourselves. It was a tough situation, but we learned a lot from it. This one (UCLA’s win against Hawaiʻi ) is just another one in the column to help us get going against Indiana. We want to come back and throw a punch right back.”