Softball Rallies to Beat Arizona Again, Advances to Pac-12 Championship Game

STANFORD, Calif. – Then No. 1 seed UCLA softball team rode a six-run, two-out rally in the fifth inning to a 6-5 victory over No. 5 seed Arizona in the Pac-12 Tournament Semifinals at Smith Family Stadium Saturday night.
 
The Bruins (36-10, 17-4 Pac-12) will play No. 6 seed Utah in the Pac-12 Tournament Championship tomorrow night at 7 p.m. (PT) on ESPN2.
 
Just two weeks ago, UCLA overcame a 7-0 deficit against the Wildcats (34-16-1, 13-11 Pac-12) by scoring 11 unanswered runs for the largest comeback victory in program history. The Bruins found themselves in a similar situation tonight, trailing Arizona 4-0 heading into the bottom of the fifth inning.
 
Sophomore Savannah Pola sparked the offense with her second hit of the night – a double into the left-center gap. Pola went 2-for-2 and reached base in all three of her plate appearances. Thessa Malau'ulu singled up the middle to push Pola to third base. Malau'ulu advanced up to second on the play after following the center fielder's throw home.
 
With two on base, Maya Brady smacked a single to right field to score a pair and cut the Wildcats' lead in half to 4-2. Arizona right fielder Kaiah Altmeyer booted the ball which allowed Brady to move up to second base. Jadelyn Allchin matched Brady with another RBI single to Altmeyer to make it a one-run ballgame.
 
Senior catcher Sharlize Palacios stepped to the plate next as the go-ahead run. On a 1-1 count, Palacios bashed a home run to straightaway center field to give the Bruins the lead for the rest of the game. Just two weeks ago, Palacios played the hero with a game-tying grand slam in the fifth inning versus Arizona on April 28.  
 
All three of Palacios' home runs this season – and all five home runs of her career – against Arizona either gave UCLA the lead or tied the game. She owns a total of five home runs and 17 runs batted in over seven career games versus Arizona.
 
On the season, Palacios has recorded 14 home runs, a .760 slugging percentage and 43 RBI.
 
The Bruins followed Palacios' epic moment with a walk drawn by Megan Grant, a single by Jordan Woolery and hit-by-pitch to Pola to load the bases. Pinch hitter Madison Pacini brought home UCLA's final run of the game on a four-pitch walk to make the score 6-4.
 
UCLA now has four wins this season when trailing by 4+ runs in a game.
 
Sophomore pitcher Taylor Tinsley made her first pitching appearance in two weeks since game one of the regular-season series versus Arizona on April 26. The All-Pac-12 First Teamer entered for relief in the top of the fourth inning and dealt 4.0 innings of relief and struck out one batter looking en route to picking up her 15th win of the season. Tinsley opened her relief outing with a five-pitch fourth inning. After allowing a single to Arizona's top of the order in the fifth, Tinsley recorded three straight outs and struck out the Wildcats' No. 3 hitter Carlie Scupin. Center fielder Janelle Meoño ended the inning by ranging back for a catch against the wall in left-center field for the final out.

Arizona designated player Olivia DiNardo cut the Bruins' lead to one run in the sixth with a solo shot to center field.
 
Southpaw Kaitlyn Terry started in the circle and surrendered four runs on five hits and two walks. Terry escaped an early threat in the top of the first inning after letting two of the first three batters of the game on base via walk and single. The freshman induced two weak foul outs against the Wildcats' No. 4 and 5 hitters in the lineup to Palacios behind the dish and Malau'ulu at third base, respectively, to get out of the inning. Terry came back stronger in the second inning, striking out the side. Arizona got on the board in the top of the third inning with a three-run homer by Scupin.