By Earl Heath | Contributing Sports Writer
LOS ANGELES — It was a big weekend at Easton Stadium as the UCLA softball team powered its way through the NCAA Los Angeles Regional and earned another trip to the Super Regionals.
The No. 8 seed Bruins opened the tournament with a wild 12-11 comeback win over California Baptist, capped by Aleena Garcia’s walk-off sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh inning. UCLA then followed with a 7-2 win over South Carolina to move into the regional final.
On Sunday afternoon, the Bruins left little doubt.
UCLA advanced to the NCAA Super Regional round with a 15-1, six-inning victory over South Carolina in the regional final. Senior Megan Grant hit a grand slam and drove in six runs, while senior pitcher Taylor Tinsley held the Gamecocks to two hits and one run in a complete-game performance.
The Bruins improved to 50-8 and continued to add to their record-setting power numbers. UCLA hit four more home runs Sunday, pushing its NCAA single-season record total to 193. Grant’s grand slam was her NCAA-record 40th homer of the year, while Rylee Slimp, Kaniya Bragg and Soo-Jin Berry also went deep. Eight different Bruins homered at least once during the team’s three regional games.
UCLA also recorded its 28th run-rule victory of the season, tying the program record set last year.
“I’m so proud of this team and their commitment to excellence, the standard, how they play for each other and with each other,” said UCLA head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez. “Just some big-time moments from Bruins who have put a lot of work in. I’m very proud of Taylor’s resilience; just the ability to do whatever she can to be able to help this team. She got stronger through the weekend. I’m proud of that; that’s good news for us.”
The Bruins will now host UCF in the Super Regionals, May 22-24, in a best-of-three series in Los Angeles. Game 1 is scheduled for Friday, May 22, at 6 p.m. PT on ESPNU. Game 2 is set for Saturday, May 23, at 6 p.m. PT on ESPN. A deciding third game, if needed, would be played Sunday.
UCF enters after winning the Tallahassee Regional, where the Knights upset No. 9 Florida State. Now the question is whether Grant can keep adding to her record-setting season — and whether UCLA’s bats can stay hot at the most critical point of the year.
So far, the answer has been an emphatic yes. But the road only gets tougher as the Bruins continue their chase for the program’s first national title since 2019.