You can't blame South Carolina for feeling a bit shell-shocked. Softball is a game of inches, but on Sunday at Easton Stadium, No. 8 seed UCLA turned it into a game of miles. The Bruins absolutely dismantled the Gamecocks 15-1 in a six-inning, run-rule blowout to capture the NCAA Los Angeles Regional.
If you just look at the final score, you might think it was a standard blowout. It wasn't. This game was a historical statement. Head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez has her squad playing at a level that should terrify every remaining team in the tournament.
With this win, UCLA moves to 50-8 on the season and advances directly to the NCAA Super Regionals. They did it by tying a program record with their 28th run-rule victory of the year. Honestly, it kinda looked easy.
Megan Grant and the Home Run Record Nobody Can Catch
The headline story of this game, and honestly this entire season, centers on senior utility star Megan Grant. She entered the game already holding the NCAA single-season home run record. But she hadn't hit a grand slam all year.
That changed in the top of the fifth inning.
South Carolina had pulled starting pitcher Jori Heard earlier for Emma Friedel, but they brought Heard back into the circle after the Bruins loaded the bases with no outs. Grant didn't wait around. On the third pitch she saw, she launched an opposite-field no-doubt grand slam. The blast put her at an astonishing 40 home runs for the season. It also brought her career total to 89, putting her exactly one swing away from tying Stacey Nuveman's legendary UCLA career record of 90.
But Grant wasn't done destroying the Gamecocks' pitching staff. In the sixth inning, she stepped up with the bases loaded again. She narrowly missed a second grand slam, pulling a long ball just foul, before settling for a two-RBI single to center field. Grant tied her season high with six RBIs on the afternoon.
Total Offensive Collapse for the Gamecocks Pitching Staff
South Carolina actually hung around early. It was only 2-0 heading into the fifth, thanks to a third-inning two-run homer by UCLA's Rylee Slimp off the scoreboard in left field. That hit came after an error by the Gamecocks' shortstop extended the inning with two outs. If you give an elite team extra outs, they will make you pay.
By the sixth inning, the wheels didn't just come off for South Carolina; the whole car disintegrated. The Bruins sent batters all the way around the order, putting up a massive nine-run frame. Jordan Woolery broke out of an 0-for-6 weekend slump with a two-RBI double down the left-field line. Bri Alejandre drove in another with a single.
Then came the exclamation points. Kaniya Bragg and Soo-Jin Berry both smashed two-run homers to close out the scoring. By the time the dust settled, UCLA had extended its mind-boggling NCAA-record team home run total to 193. Eight different Bruins hit a home run over the course of the three regional games. That kind of depth makes a lineup impossible to navigate.
Taylor Tinsley Quietly Shuts the Door
While the offense grabbed all the headlines, senior pitcher Taylor Tinsley put on a masterclass in the circle. She held South Carolina to just two hits and one run across 23 batters faced. It was her lowest hit count through at least five innings since early April.
Tinsley cruised through three up, three down frames in three of the first four innings. The Gamecocks got their lonely run in the bottom of the fifth. Arianna Rodi drew her 50th walk of the season, breaking her own South Carolina program record. Later in the inning, Quincee Lilio managed an RBI single to right field to score Nia McKnight.
In their regional opener on Friday against California Baptist, Tinsley gave up nine straight runs before recording an out in the fifth. A lot of pitchers would let that linger. Tinsley didn't. She forced a pop-up to cap the fifth on Sunday, then retired the side in order in the sixth to seal the game.
The Road to Oklahoma City Runs Through Westwood
South Carolina ends its season at 32-28 under coach Ashley Chastain Woodard. They made it to their fourth consecutive regional final, which is a solid achievement, but they ran into a buzzsaw.
UCLA now prepares to host the UCF Knights at Easton Stadium for a best-of-three NCAA Super Regional series running from May 22-24. UCF is coming off an impressive upset over No. 9 seed Florida State in the Tallahassee Regional, so they won't be intimidated by the environment.
Game 1 throws out the first pitch on Friday, May 22 at 6 p.m. PT on ESPNU. Game 2 follows on Saturday, May 23 at 6 p.m. PT on the main ESPN network. If you want to see if Megan Grant can claim the all-time UCLA home run crown, or if this offense can push their record past 200 home runs, secure your tickets through the UCLA central ticket office immediately or set your DVRs. This team is playing can't-miss softball.
