UCLA falls to Tennessee in an extra-innings | College News

OKLAHOMA CITY — UCLA‘s run at the Women’s College World Series ended Sunday, two innings after Bruins slugger Megan Grant prolonged it.

Laura Mealer‘s bases-loaded, walk-off single to right field in the bottom of the ninth propelled Tennessee to a 5-4 win and a semifinal meeting with Texas at 9 a.m. PDT Monday.

The Volunteers (47-16) did what UCLA couldn’t in the ninth: ship with the bases loaded. The Bruins bought singles from Savannah Pola and Jordan Woolery adopted by an intentional stroll to Grant. But Alexis Ramirez grounded out to first to finish the inning.

Taylor Pannell hit a deep fly to left subject to lead off Tennessee’s half of the ninth, a ball that caromed off Rylee Slimp’s glove and hit the white padding on the highest of the wall but didn’t go away the sector. The play was reviewed and ruled a double.

Mealer, who knocked in two runs in the first inning to give the Volunteers an early 2-0 lead, delivered again, this time on a 2-2 pitch from Taylor Tinsley, who got here on in aid of UCLA starter Kaitlyn Terry.

“Well, that was one of the most exciting, intense, emotional games I have ever been part of in all my years of coaching,” Tennessee coach Karen Weekly stated, “and I couldn’t be more proud of our young women hanging in there, not letting what happened in the seventh inning cost us the game.”

Ramirez and Sofia Mujica hit solo home runs in the second inning and Woolery had 4 hits for the Bruins, who completed 55-13. It was UCLA’s a hundred and fiftieth WCWS recreation.

“Just a great battle to the end,” UCLA coach Kelly Inouye-Perez stated. “I could not be more proud. Period. Just the ability for us to be able to fight, the ability for us to come back, the epic [rally], just down to the last pitch … there’s something about what UCLA softball can do, with your backs against the wall and just rising to the occasion creates some amazing memories.”

Two innings before the Volunteers walked off, Grant modified the complexion of the sport and prolonged the Bruins’ season with one swing.

Or so the Bruins and their trustworthy inside Devon Park thought.

Grant’s two-out, two-run homer to proper subject off Tennessee ace Karlyn Pickens, a no-doubter that traveled 251 toes and appeared to pull the rating even at 4-4, was in doubt for about quarter-hour.

A review was initiated to decide if Grant touched home plate or was interfered with by a teammate. The on-field call was upheld and play resumed.

“Following the celebration at home plate the umpires got together to determine whether the runner touched home plate,” the NCAA pool report said. “The umpires observed that the runner returned to touch home plate, but it wasn’t clear if the runner was assisted by a teammate. In an effort to get the call right, the umpires decided to initiate video review to help determined what occurred.”

Grant referred to as the homer “kind of a blackout moment.”

“I know, just going into that at-bat I wanted to keep my mind right and stay aggressive,” she stated. “And honestly, after the swing, I did blackout indeed.”

Grant’s blast was her twenty sixth of the season, breaking the Big Ten single-season mark. Grant and Woolery mixed for 49 homers on the season.

“Oh, my gosh. I’m really sad we didn’t get to 50,” Woolery stated. “But Meg is awesome. She makes it easy for me to be great, and in the game today, knowing that it wasn’t all on me to get the job done with two outs. If you have Megan behind you, it’s easy to feel a lot less pressure.

“So just getting on and letting Meg do the rest. As soon as she hit the ball, I started crying. It was just such a good moment and a culmination of all the year in one moment. So it was awesome to see. We’ll be back. So get ready. Fifty is coming!”

Tennessee loaded the bases in its half of the first against Terry and pulled forward 2-0 on a single to heart by Mealer, who completed with two hits and three RBI.

UCLA answered with homers by Ramirez and Mujica to tie it.

The Bruins loaded the bases in the fifth with two outs, but Pickens struck out Ramirez to finish the risk. Tennessee made Terry pay in the underside of the inning when Gabby Leach singled to heart subject and Pannell stepped up and blasted a two-run homer down the left subject line to put Tennessee back in entrance 4-2.

Terry, a sophomore, pitched 5 innings, giving up eight hits and 4 runs, placing out seven and strolling one batter. Tinsley went 3 1/3 innings, yielding three hits and 4 walks.

Despite Grant’s seventh-inning heroics, UCLA left 10 runners on base against the Volunteers and 5 on base the night time before against Texas Tech in a 3-1 loss to Red Raiders and ace NiJaree Canady.

“I love that we were in that situation,” Inouye-Perez stated. “We’re facing some of the best arms. NiJa was real and we hit her well. We hit Karlyn Pickens well. We hit them well. So it’s the game. I wish they could have all been perfect and score 20 runs, but to get runners in scoring position is the name of the game. Quality at-bats puts you in that position, and everybody wants to come through in those big moments.

“But what we did against the arms and the teams, we just played the game. And unfortunately sometimes you come through, sometimes you don’t. That doesn’t define you in the moment. But this team came back and fought against a great opponent.”