Beware the Bruins Bombers.
UCLA claimed the first of a best-of-three super regional over Central Florida with a 9-1 run-rule win Friday at Easton Stadium, putting the Bruins one win away from reaching the Women’s College World Series. It also set a new program record for mercy rules (29), breaking the school’s previous one set just last year.
Freshman infielder Bri Alejandre squared up and smashed a home run over the center-field wall to give UCLA the lead in the second inning. She tied the Big Ten freshman home-run record with her 23rd of the season.
“You don’t want this heat,” one fan yelled from behind home plate. The Bruins, though, were just getting started.
UCF struggled to find answers to match UCLA’s offensive firepower. Three Knights pitchers tried in vain as the Bruins diced up the diamond even though UCF walked UCLA and NCAA home-run leader Megan Grant three times.
The Bruins hit .278, though they were a perfect 1.000 when there was a runner on third and less than two outs. The team also batted .714 in advancement opportunities, maximizing the damage done at the plate.
Ava Stuewe ended her night in the fourth inning after she walked one Bruin and hit another. But her replacement, sophomore Isabella Vega, couldn’t find her footing, either.
UCLA strung together a sacrifice bunt and an RBI-ground out to score one run. Ramsey Suarez sliced a double down the left-field line as the ball landed less than a foot into fair territory.
Second baseman Kaniya Bragg’s three-run home run put UCLA up by five in the fifth inning. And Rylee Slimp ended the game with a three-run homer.
Yet, UCLA wasn’t perfect. The Bruins left the bases loaded when UCF’s Sierra Humphreys made a diving catch to end the fourth.
The Knights clawed back a run when Humphreys, the first batter of the fifth inning, homered to left. The hit was a small smudge on Bruins ace Taylor Tinsley’s line, finishing with two strikeouts and three hits across the five innings.
UCF coach Cindy Ball-Malone said her team struggled to attack Tinsley’s pitches, which she threw for strikes 63.4% of the time.
“This isn’t to take away from Tinsley, she’s an amazing pitcher and she’s got some great stuff, but, again, you got to go after her and attack her,” Ball-Malone said.
She added: “Just felt like we were swinging passively, and in order to slay a giant you cannot do that. You got to go big.”
UCF hit a combined .167 against Tinsley, and despite having five advancement opportunities, the Knights came up short each time.
Tinsley didn’t look unhittable, at least not at first. She worked herself into a 3-2 count during UCF’s first at-bat of the super regional. As she took a moment to breathe, staring out at the blue wall, centerfielder Jolyna Lamar nodded her head three times.
While Tinsley’s focal point had always been the center field wall, she said her quick glance toward Lamar helped her feed off her team’s positive energy.
“She’s one of the first center fielders that I’m actually fully looking at and connecting with because I have so much trust in her,” Tinsley said. “It reminds me that all the girls are behind me. I’m working for them, and I know that they’re going to have my back.”
Tinsley then pitched three hitless innings before Knight Aubrey Evans doubled off the right field wall in the fourth. Evans ran to third on a wild pitch, but Tinsley worked out of the jam with a groundout that she fielded herself and a lineout to Aleena Garcia at shortstop.
“Taylor is a fierce competitor,” UCLA coach Kelly Inouye-Perez said. “She’s dialed in every day from the plan and trying to execute pitches. Just does a great job of being able to do everything she can and help her team.”
UCLA and UCF will play Game 2 Saturday at 7 p.m. and the game will air on ESPN. If the Bruins win, they advance to the WCWS. If they lose, the teams play again Sunday for the WCWS bid.
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