The UCLA Bruins softball team continued its win streak to start the season. UCLA moved to 3-0 with a 12-4 blowout of Oregon State at Bill Barber Park in Irvine, Calif., on Saturday.
UCLA had redshirt junior pitcher Sydney Somerndike start, but sophomore pitcher Brynne Nally would enter the game to end the top of the second and close out the game. Somerndike had a rough game with all four of the Beavers’ runs coming when she was on the mound.
After the Bruins fell behind 4-2, UCLA was able to change the course of the game with Nally pitching a shutout over the final three innings. While OSU was held in check after its strong start, the Bruins’ offense rallied, scoring five runs in the bottom of the third with three of them coming off a homer by sophomore infielder Kaniya Bragg to right center.
Nally continued to create trouble for the Beavers when she stood on the mound by adding two more strikeouts and no hits in the top of the fourth. UCLA was able to increase its lead thanks to redshirt junior pinch hitter Ramsey Suarez’s sacrifice fly sending Megan Grant home to get the Bruins up 8-2 entering the top of the fifth.
Nally completed her truncated no-hitter with two more strikeouts to add to her 5 strikeout game on her 49 pitches. The Bruins then added four more runs in the bottom of the fifth to trigger the mercy rule and end the game.
Grant led the Bruins with 3 runs. Just behind her were Bragg and sophomore outfielder Rylee Slimp with 2 runs each. Other Bruins who scored a run: freshmen utilities Saydrie Meono and Jolyna Lamar, senior infielder Jordan Woolery, redshirt freshman infielder Aleena Garcia, and junior utility Soo-Jin Berry.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: UCLA softball’s dominant middle innings silence Oregon State
Reporting by Ryan Lorenz, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
