No. 2 Bruins Blank No. 10 Florida State in WCWS Opener

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OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - Senior Rachel Garcia struck out 11 in a complete-game shutout on Thursday, as the second-seeded Bruins recorded a 4-0 victory over No. 10 Florida State at USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium.

The Bruins (47-5) advance in the winner's bracket and will take on No. 3-seed Alabama on Friday at 6:30 p.m. PT/8:30 p.m. CT on ESPN2. It was the 100th program victory for UCLA at the WCWS.

Garcia (18-1) struck out the side in the fourth inning and two apiece in the second, fourth and sixth. She posted 1-2-3 frames in the fifth and seventh. The senior allowed just five hits and two walks.

UCLA had seven hits from five different players, with junior Kinsley Washington and sophomore Anna Vines recording two hits each.

The game was scoreless until the fifth when some aggressive base running put the Bruins on the board. Washington reached on an infield single with one out and advanced to second on an error. One out later, Vines beat out a tapper up the middle for a single, and Washington kept on running, rounding third and sliding home safely to give UCLA the lead.

In the sixth, UCLA added three more. With one out, junior Aaliyah Jordan singled, and was pinch-run for by freshman Lauryn Carter, who moved to second on a grounder and scored on a double to left-center by junior Delanie Wisz to make it 2-0. Freshman Maya Brady followed with a home run for the third game in a row, a towering shot to center, her 14th to tie for the team lead and extend the advantage to 4-0.

Garcia was helped by a pair of sparkling defensive plays, including one by Vines in the third inning on a diving stop and throw from her knees to get a runner at first. To end the game, junior Briana Perez snared a soft liner with a diving catch to advance the Bruins into Friday's matchup with the Crimson Tide.