This post was updated May 7 at 10:09 p.m.

People may see the first pitch as a way to figure out the pitcher, warm up a little and test the waters.

For the Bruin Bombers, one pitch is often all it takes.

No. 3 seed UCLA softball (46-7, 21-4 Big Ten) defeated No. 11 seed Penn State (33-21, 11-14) 6-1 at Maryland Softball Stadium in College Park on Thursday in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinal. 

And even though the game began over an hour and a half after its scheduled start time, it started with a bang.

Senior utility Megan Grant swung on the first pitch that came her way, blasting it out of the park to put the Bruins on the board early.

And that was just the beginning.

“If you felt the energy of our postgame meeting, they’re living in the moment,” said coach Kelly Inouye-Perez. “They’re young and they’re resilient. … We’re playing great softball.”

Redshirt freshman infielder Aleena Garcia drove in senior infielder Jordan Woolery with a home run in the first, moments after Woolery hit a double. Freshman infielder Bri Alejandre followed Garcia with a blast of her own to give UCLA a 4-0 lead.

Alejandre, who now boasts 21 four-baggers this season – which set a new program freshman home run record – was named on the NFCA Top Ten List for Freshman of the Year earlier this week.

And if that wasn’t enough, the Bruins also brought the heat in in the bottom of the third.

Redshirt junior catcher Alexis Ramirez kicked things off with the fourth home run of the night, and junior utility Soo-Jin Berry followed her with a hit that clashed against the backfield wall, which was good for a double. 

“I love watching the offense compete in the box,” Ramirez said. “What coach Lisa’s (associate head coach Lisa Fernandez) built is so awesome to be a part of.”

Freshman utility Jolyna Lamar then hit her first career triple to bring in Berry and increase the Bruins’ lead to six.

But the Bruins didn’t just dominate at the plate.

Senior pitcher Taylor Tinsley struck out a season-high nine batters, stranding runners on second and third in the top of the first. 

“There were some things that she could tighten up, and tonight was probably the best she’s thrown all year,” Inouye-Perez said. “That’s the goal, is to be her best at the end. She’s taken everything that she’s learned. It’s been a long season. She’s put this team on her back. She’s got a lot of innings and a lot of wins to be able to show that. Without Taylor Tinsley, this team wouldn’t be doing what they’re doing.”

And in the infield, Garcia, sophomore infielder Kaniya Bragg and Woolery completed a double play to end the top of the third.

However, the Bruins still had some shortcomings despite their Thursday triumphs.

They left bases loaded twice throughout the game, during the bottoms of the second and fifth innings. In the bottom of the sixth, they went three up, three down at the plate.

And a fielding error from Alejandre allowed the Nittany Lions to get on the board with two runners in scoring position. 

“The ability to stop it (opposing teams’ rallies) is key,” Inouye-Perez said. “We gave them a run there, and their ability to stop the bleeding right there and then get out of that inning says a lot about what championship softball is all about. … We had one miscue, and then find a way to get out of that inning says a lot about this team’s resilience and their ability to lock back in and get to the next pitch.”

Even with a few errors, the Bruins are still alive.

UCLA will play against No. 7 seed Wisconsin (32-18, 14-10), a team the Westwood squad swept during the regular season, tomorrow in the Big Ten tournament semifinal.

“The opponent is just another jersey, another dugout,” Tinsley said. “It doesn’t matter who it is. (We’re) focusing on us, and we’re excited to play anybody, and there’s a great stage for all of us.”