The bases were loaded with nobody out and nowhere to put UCLA’s Megan Grant when she stepped to the plate in the fifth inning.
Searching for an answer against the most feared slugger in college softball, South Carolina made a pitching change.
It made no difference.
Grant rocketed the third pitch over the wall in left-center field Sunday evening for a grand slam and a nicely rounded number for the game’s home run queen.
Grant’s 40th homer of the season extended her NCAA record and provided the Bruins plenty of breathing room on the way to a 15-1, six-inning run-rule victory over the Gamecocks in the deciding game of the NCAA Tournament Regional at Easton Stadium.
The triumph propelled UCLA (50-8) to a Super Regional next week against Central Florida back at the Bruins’ home stadium. The best-of-three series starts at 6 p.m. PDT on Friday.
Grant’s teammates poured out of the dugout to mob her in celebration of her second homer of the regional. The blast gave UCLA a 6-0 lead before the Gamecocks (32-28) finally broke through with a run in the bottom of the inning against ace Taylor Tinsley.
Stepping to the plate with the bases loaded in the sixth inning, Grant ripped a two-run single up the middle, giving her six RBIs on the day. Jordan Woolery followed with a two-run double down the left field line as part of the Bruins’ nine-run inning that featured two homers and five extra-base hits.
In her third start in as many games in the regional, Tinsley (30-6) produced her most dominant performance. She gave up two hits and one run while pitching her second complete game in as many days, with two strikeouts and two walks.
What it means
UCLA’s athletic dominance of South Carolina continued on another big stage.
Just last month, the UCLA women’s basketball team dismantled the Gamecocks by 28 points in the national title game — after a previous Bruins victory over them in December 2024 ended South Carolina’s 43-game winning streak.
UCLA’s softball team has established similar supremacy in its series with South Carolina after beating the Gamecocks last season in a Super Regional and sweeping them in their two meetings this weekend.
In another development that could make South Carolina fans wince this fall, former Gamecocks wide receiver Brian Rowe Jr. has emerged as a possible star for UCLA’s football team after making one crazy catch after another during spring practices.
Turning point
With both pitchers locked in a taut duel, one mistake, a single opening was all it took.
A two-out fielding error in the third inning extended an inning and brought UCLA leadoff hitter Rylee Slimp to the plate.
Slimp made the most of the opportunity, smashing a two-run home run off the scoreboard beyond the left field wall to put something besides zeros in the run columns on that display.
The breakthrough started when Jolyna Lamar ripped a sharp grounder to South Carolina shortstop Shae Anderson, who bobbled the ball for an error.
Four pitches later, Slimp’s homer gave the Bruins a 2-0 lead. It was Slimp’s 15th homer — exceptional for a leadoff hitter and more than anyone in South Carolina’s lineup.
MVP: Taylor Tinsley
Tinsley’s ability to get stronger in each outing of the regional is a good sign for the Bruins given that she’ll probably start each game of the Super Regional — and possibly the Women’s College World Series, should the Bruins advance.
Did you see that?
UCLA’s Kaniya Bragg crushed a two-run homer in the sixth inning that cleared the wall in left-center, landing on the roof of the building that houses the Bruins’ hitting cage.
Up next
UCLA will face Central Florida in the Super Regional.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
