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In the battle between elite pitching andmighty offense, the long ball ruled.
Upstaging the most prolific offense in college softball history, the Crimson Tide blasted two late home runs to rally past UCLA for a 6-3 victory in their Women’s College World Series opener.
After rebounding from a shaky start with three consecutive scoreless innings Thursday at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, Bruins aceTaylor Tinsleycouldn’t sustain the momentum.
Alabama’s Alexis Pupillo crushed a two-run homer in the fifth inning to tie the score at 3 before Brooke Wells blasted a three-run homer in the sixth.
UCLA coach Kelly Inouye-Perez shouldered the blame for the pitch calls that led to the homers.
“I tried to compete with a down ball that I don’t like that she gets beat with, not her best pitch,” Inouye-Perez said. “That’s why I say I’ll own it because we need to focus more on her than rather than focusing on the opponent, but in that, I’ll own both of those balls that were taken out of the ballpark – that’s on me.”
Alabama’s late power surge more than offset back-to-back homers from UCLA’s Rylee Slimp andMegan Grantin the third inning that had given the Bruins a 3-1 lead.
Grant followed Slimp’s two-run homer off Crimson Tide ace Jocelyn Briski on a two-out, full-count rise ball with a solo shot on a drop ball, momentarily erasing the Bruins’ one-run deficit.
Grant’s homer extended her NCAA single-season record to 41 and was the 90th of her four seasons, pulling her into a tie with Stacey Nuveman for the UCLA career record.
Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos
