UCLA plowed its way through the playoffs to the Super Regional on Friday with the long ball. But when the Bruins needed one win to earn their third straight Women’s College World Series berth, they did it the old-fashioned way: with pitching and defense.
No. 5 UCLA beat No. 12 Mississippi on Friday 1-0 thanks to a strong combined pitching effort from Selina Ta’amilo and Rachel Garcia and team defense.
“We’re hitting all cylinders and it’s a big part of what has made UCLA softball the program that we are,” head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez said. “It’s based on the ability for us to have pitching. It all starts in the circle. Defense wins championships.”
Madeline Jelenicki’s two-out RBI single in the first inning was all the scoring UCLA needed as Ta’amilo started in the circle and pitched three innings while giving up three hits. Garcia entered in relief and tossed four hitless innings to earn the win.
The Bruins are the first team to punch their ticket to Oklahoma City this year and will play the winner of the Tallahassee Super Regional between LSU and Florida State in the World Series, which begins June 1.