No. 10 UCLA softball swept Illinois in their series with an 18-0 shutout in the finale at Eichelberger Field in Urbana-Champaign, Ill on Sunday. The impressive wins moves the Bruins to 37-5 on the season as we head towards the end of the regular season.
Illinois scored their only run of the series in a 10-1 win for the Bruins in their second game, which followed UCLA’s 17-0 shutout against Illinois was a 17-0 win in their series opener. In the finale, sophomore right-handed pitcher Brynne Nally was the only Bruin to step on the mound and gave up five hits and a walk, but no runs in her five innings. Meanwhile, UCLA’s batters had a field day with 18 runs off of 18 hits and three walks.
Explosive start
In the top of the first, UCLA scored their first two runs off of a single. The Bruins continued to pile up runs with a three-run homer struck by redshirt freshman infielder Aleena Garcia. Sophomore center fielder Sofia Mujica and freshman utility Jolyna Lamar followed up with home runs of their own to put the Bruins in the driver seat with a 7-0 start five hits into the game.
No seconds
UCLA was unable to match the success they had in the first with a double play cutting their second inning short. Nally gave up two hits to start the bottom of the second, but didn’t allow the Fighting Illini’s baserunner to get home from third with three consecutive outs to close out the inning.
Defensive third
In the top of the third, the Bruins couldn’t get a runner on base but Illinois found better success in the inning. A walk, a double and a hit by a pitch had the bases loaded, but Nally and the defensive unit once again prevented Illinois from making it home to keep their 7-0 lead intact.
Doubling the score
The Bruins experienced their second seven-run inning in the top of the fourth with the first run coming off of a throwing error. Senior utility Megan Grant followed up the first run with a two-run homer and a couple batters later, Garcia struck her second three-run homer of the game. The Bruins seventh hit in the fourth led to UCLA’s last run of the inning off of a single to put them up 14-0.
A few more in the fifth
UCLA added four more runs in the top of the fifth with two of those runs came off Mujica’s two-run homer. The Bruins were up 18-0 and with the Fighting Illini being unable to get home in the bottom of the fifth, the run rule was initiated.
The Bruins will return home to Easton Stadium in Los Angeles to play their midweek game against Cal Baptist on Tuesday with an anticipated start time of 6 p.m. PT.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: Two seven-run innings leads to UCLA’s second shutout against Illinois
Reporting by Ryan Lorenz, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
