Courtesy of UCLA Athletics
LOS ANGELES – Senior Jessica Hall and junior Ally Carda combined on a one-hit shutout, while senior Alyssa Tiumalu hit a two-run homer to lead a nine-hit attack, as third-seeded UCLA opened up the Los Angeles Regional with an 8-0, six-inning victory over Southern Utah on Friday at Easton Stadium.
The Bruins, who improve to 49-6 on the season, advance into the winner’s bracket and will face Notre Dame on Saturday at 12 p.m. Live video will be available on ESPN3.com and live audio at UCLABruins.com. The Fighting Irish defeated Long Beach State 8-0 in six innings in Friday’s first game. Southern Utah falls to 23-30 and will play Long Beach at 3 p.m. in an elimination contest.
Carda started the game and struck out three in three innings, allowing a hit and two walks. She had a 1-2-3 inning in the first and fanned one in each frame. Hall tossed three hitless frames of relief and picked up the win to move to 16-2 on the season. She also struck out three and gave up just a fifth-inning walk, posting 1-2-3 innings in the fourth and sixth and a strikeout in every frame.
Eight different Bruins accounted for the nine hits, as freshman Gabrielle Maurice recorded a pair.
UCLA scored in five of the six innings, starting with four in the first. Carda led off with a walk and was moved to second on a sacrifice by freshman Delaney Spaulding. Junior Stephany LaRosa followed with a single through the left side to plate Carda with the game’s first run. One out later, Maurice doubled to left-center to bring in LaRosa to make it 2-0, and Tiumalu added a two-run homer to right-center, her sixth of the season, to extend the advantage to 4-0.
In the second, junior Gracie Goulder led off with a single to left, and one out later, Carda singled to left to move her to second. Spaulding then hit a ground ball to second which went through the legs of Meagan Nielson, allowing Goulder to score to make it 5-0.
In the fourth, Spaulding doubled to center with one out, moved to third on a LaRosa grounder and scored on a wild pitch for run number six.
An inning later, Maurice led off with a double through the left side, moved to third on a grounder to second by sophomore Brittany Moeai and scored on an error by shortstop Kelli Hales with Hall at the plate to make it 7-0.
UCLA invoked the mercy rule for the 14th time this season with its eighth run in the sixth. Carda led off with a walk and was pinch-run for by freshman Robyn Corruth, who moved to second on a Spaulding sacrifice, to third on a passed ball and to the plate one batter later on a single to left by sophomore Mysha Sataraka to finish off the Bruin victory.
