Suarez Lifts Bruins to 5-3 Win Over Ducks

LOS ANGELES – Facing an 0-2 count in a tie game, pinch hitter Ramsey Suarez smoked a two-RBI single over the left fielder's head in the bottom of the sixth inning to lead the No. 14 UCLA softball team to a 5-3 victory over No. 24 Oregon at Easton Stadium Thursday night.
 
The Bruins (19-8, 5-2 Pac-12) totaled seven hits, including two from shortstop Maya Brady who crushed her ninth home run of the season. The Ducks (20-11, 7-3 Pac-12) scored two of their runs by way of two solo longballs.
 
Freshman left-handed pitcher Kaitlyn Terry earned the start in the circle for UCLA and struck out four batters across 5.2 innings. Terry surrendered all three of Oregon's runs.
 
Oregon opened the scoring in the top of third on Paige Sinicki's first home run of the season. UCLA had its leadoff batter hit safely in each of the first two innings but failed to push a run across. The Bruins finally broke through in the bottom half of the third after Janelle Meoño dropped a slap single down the left field line to get on base for Brady. The redshirt senior slugger blasted a no-doubter into the trees in center field to give UCLA a 2-1 lead.
 
Seconds after Brady touched home plate and celebrated with her teammates, Jadelyn Allchin applied more pressure with a triple into the right-center gap. Allchin was originally called out on the tag, but the call was overturned thanks to a successful challenge by the Shelly Carlin UCLA Head Softball Coach Kelly Inouye-Perez. Allchin tagged up and scored easily on a sacrifice fly from Sharlize Palacios.
 
Tonight's game marked Inouye-Perez's 1,000th career game as head coach. Tonight's result improved her career win total to 794. She is six wins away from joining her two predecessors, UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame Coaches Sharron Backus and Sue Enquist, in the 800 win club.
 
The Ducks added a run the very next inning on a solo shot by Katie Flannery, who also recorded her first home run of the season.
 
Terry cruised along in the fifth, inducing a pair of force outs on ground balls at second base. The freshman found trouble in the top half of the sixth, however, after drilling Oregon's leadoff hitter Vallery Wong on a 1-2 count. One batter later, Ducks' catcher Emma Kauf hit a high fly ball into right field that dropped for a double between Meoño and Megan Grant who were both tracking the ball. Meoño's throw back into the infield went to the non-glove side of second baseman Seneca Curo, forcing her to turn around and tip the relay throw off her mitt. The throwing error allowed Wong's pinch runner to scamper home and tie the game, 3-3.
 
Taylor Tinsley entered in relief and retired the first batter she faced with a strikeout to get out of the inning.
 
UCLA wasted no time in getting its lead back in the bottom of the sixth. Jordan Woolery hit a line shot over Oregon's leaping shortstop to start the rally. A four-pitch walk to Grant brought up Thessa Malau'ulu in an obvious sacrifice situation, and she delivered, laying down a perfect bunt to move two into scoring position. With one out, Inouye-Pere called upon Suarez to come off the bench. Suarez's two-RBI base hit marked her second pinch hit of the season (2-for-7).
 
Tinsley quieted the Ducks in the seventh with a three-up, three-down inning, including a strikeout, to end the game. Tinsley needed just six pitches in the seventh. The Lawrenceville, Ga. native earned her seventh win of the season.
 
UCLA and Oregon square off in game two of the series at Easton Stadium tomorrow night at 5 p.m. (PT). The game will be televised by the Pac-12 Networks with Tracy Warren and UCLA Athletic Hall of Famer Amanda Freed on the call.