The Bruins have more home runs this season than they have ever had before.

With three home runs Saturday night and an NCAA runner-up 110 home runs on the season, the Bruins set a new program single-season home run record.

No. 9 UCLA softball (32-5, 12-2 Big Ten) defeated Indiana (27-9, 7-4) 7-2 at Easton Stadium to clinch the series victory Saturday. Outside of the plate domination, freshman pitcher/utility Natalie Cable pitched a seven-inning complete game for the first time in her career.

Cable allowed five hits and struck out five across the outing, all while throwing 137 pitches – her highest tally of the season.

“That’s the best she’s thrown since she’s been a Bruin,” said coach Kelly Inouye-Perez.

And Cable’s success did not just come from her control of the circle, but also from her defense.

She fielded a hit in the third inning that she tossed to freshman third baseman Bri Alejandre, who rocketed the ball over to first base for a double play to end the inning.

While the handoff to Alejandre was textbook, the third baseman’s throw across the diamond was unexpected.

“She surprised me,” Cable said. “I almost caught it because I thought she was going to throw it back to me. But good thing I didn’t.”

Inouye-Perez said this year’s pitching staff has worked harder than in previous years on defense, particularly after the pitches are thrown.

Seven challenges somewhat disrupted the rhythm of the game, resulting in lengthy reviews. But multiple calls were overturned in the process, something Inouye-Perez said is important – getting the calls right.

UCLA made multiple key defensive infield plays, with redshirt freshman shortstop Aleena Garcia diving left to catch a line drive in the fifth inning.

“She took away a lot of hits tonight and turned them into outs,” Inouye-Perez said. “You got to love being a pitcher with Aleena Garcia and Bri Alejandre on defense. They do some really great things over there on the left side.”

Garcia also found success in the batter’s box, firing off one of UCLA’s three home runs.

Senior utility Megan Grant hammered the other two, increasing her season mark to 25.

Grant kicked off the scoring in the third inning with a shot to left field. And her second homer officially set the program record.

“I have to credit the coaching staff,” Grant said. “They’ve trained us really hard. So when we get to the game, it feels a lot easier. And with that, our mindset’s shifted this year, and we knew we were going to bring the bats in. We had that confidence going in.”

Inouye-Perez credited past UCLA softball greats who played in a different era, when home runs were more sparse.

But while the record reflects a changing game, there is nothing to be taken away from the team’s success in the batter’s box.

In fact, if you removed Grant’s home runs from the equation, UCLA would still be the second-best team in the nation in total home runs, behind NCAA softball juggernaut Oklahoma.

The Bruins will play the Hoosiers midday Sunday with a chance to add more home runs to their tally and complete the sweep.