The top-seeded UCLA Bruins won the 2024 Pac-12 Softball Tournament title, topping the six-seeded Utah Utes, 2-1 in a pitchers duel on Saturday night at Boyd and Jill Smith Family Stadium.

Jordan Woolery sent the first pitch she saw over the wall to deep centerfield in the second inning, putting the Bruins up 1-0. UCLA had two on in the third after a Maya Brady single and a Sharlize Palacios walk, but Mariah Lopez was able to get out of the jam with help from Haley Denning, who tracked down a Megan Grant popup in foul territory to end the inning.

Sophie Jacquez roped a two-out double to right-center in the fourth, but the Utes couldn’t bring anyone across as Kaitlyn Terry got the groundout to end the threat. Woolery walked in the bottom half, was replaced by pinch runner Liesl Osteen who moved to second on a wild pitch, and then went to third on a groundout to second. Lopez got pinch-hitter Ramsey Suarez looking as she painted the outside corner for the second out, and then got Thessa Malau’ulu to ground out to second to keep it a one-run game.

With two down in the top of the fifth, pinch hitter Karlie Davison tied things up with a solo home run to left-center, her second home run in a Pac-12 Tournament Championship Game after she went yard in the second inning last season to also put Utah on the board. UCLA’s Janelle Meono reached on an error in the bottom of the fifth, and attempted to steal second with two down. However Leilani Melendez fired it down to second for the final out, her fourth caught stealing of the season.

Terry retired the side in the top of the sixth on just seven pitches, and Palacios led off the bottom half with a towering solo home run to left field to put UCLA up, 2-1. Taylor Tinsley shut the door in the seventh inning for the save, her third of the year.

Terry got her 23rd start of the season, including her third this Tournament, going six innings with three strikeouts and one earned. Lopez struck out five in six innings for the Utes.

Saturday's final was the second between these two teams after they squared off in the 2023 Pac-12 Tournament Championship Game. Utah beat the Bruins, 7-4 a season ago for the crown.

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Jadelyn Allchin • UCLA
NiJaree Canady • Stanford
Olivia DiNardo • Arizona
Taryn Kern • Stanford
Sarah Ladd • Utah
Mariah Lopez • Utah
Kaylah Nelsen • Utah
Sharlize Palacios • UCLA • Most Outstanding Player
Carlie Scupin • Arizona
Kaitlyn Terry • UCLA
Jordan Woolery • UCLA