UCLA softball pummels UCF, advances to Women's College World Series

UCLA alumni roared from the metal bleachers as UCLA players jumped in the air and crowded the clay mound at Easton Stadium while chanting "OKC!" Something about this year's Bruins feels magical, UCLA coach Kelly Inouye-Perez said.

"I still have visuals of how we went about [winning national championships,] that there's a good magic feeling of really everyone committing to sticking to a plan on how we're going to find a way to win," said Inouye-Perez, who has won national titles with the Bruins as a player and coach. "And this team, you can feel it."

UCLA clinched a berth in the Women's College World Series, winning a best-of-three super regional over Central Florida with a 14-4 victory Saturday night at Easton Stadium. The Bruins also set an NCAA record for WCWS appearances, reaching the double-elimination tournament in Oklahoma City 34 times.

Facing elimination, UCF threw five pitchers at the Bruins' lineup. None could silence UCLA's bats.

While Megan Grant had another quiet night, drawing three walks, her presence in the box was enough to drive in a run. The right fielder worked a full count in the third inning. With the bases loaded, she hit a sacrifice fly to deep right field. Only feet separated her from setting a program career home run record. The mark still belongs to Stacey Nuveman (90 home runs).

A batter later, shortstop Aleena Garcia hit an RBI single that bounced off the top of shortstop Aubrey Evans' glove to give UCLA the lead. Catcher Alexis Ramirez added a run an inning later when she homered to left.

Meanwhile UCF starter Tori Payne consistently worked from behind the count and walked five batters. The right-hander's pitch count topped 92 by the fifth inning. UCF coach Cindy Ball-Malone pulled Payne when she loaded the bases and gave up a run by hitting a batter.

Reliever Lena Elkins couldn't work out of the jam. Ramirez doubled down the left-field line, scoring two. The Bruins left two on base.

While UCLA didn't fall behind after tying the score in the third inning, UCF challenged Bruins' ace Taylor Tinsley and the defense more than on Friday.

"She's a true competitor," Ball-Malone said of Tinsley. "She's good, and she got better as she kept going and her offense makes her really lethal too."

In the first, Tinsley left one bad pitch too far into the strike zone, and Evans sent the ball flying over the center-field wall. Tinsley then took a deep breath and continued. She struck out the next batter, and got a quick groundout to third base. When Tinsley ended the inning on a swinging strikeout, she ripped off her mask and screamed as her teammates poured out the dugout to give her high-fives.

"We say it's nine on one, and she truly believes that," Ramirez said. "She's able to get herself back into rhythm, focus on deep breaths."

Tinsley held the Knights hitless until the fourth inning when she gave up three singles. Second baseman Kaniya Bragg saved the Bruins from giving up more runs when she trapped Sierra Humphreys' single in the clay before it could reach the grass.

While Tinsley had struggled to find the zone that inning, she stranded the runners, striking out one batter and eliciting a groundout to short.

Her control problems reappeared in the fifth, though she wasn't the only one facing challenges. With two runners on the base, Ramirez tried to throw out a runner stealing second, but the ball slipped away from Bragg and trickled into the outfield grass. One runner scored and another advanced to third, later scoring on a foul out to left field.

Despite having two outs, Tinsley gave up two singles and an equal number of walks, loading the bases and giving up another run. Central Florida's Coco Jaimes flied out to end the inning, but the Knights had scored three to cut UCLA's lead to 6-4.

"Our team has a really great fight when all odds are against us and momentum doesn't go our way," Ball-Malone said. "I think she's going to get better because she had to face us."

UCF couldn't enjoy the beginnings of a comeback for long. Garcia smashed a three-run homer to right in the sixth inning. Woolery tacked on an extra run on an RBI double in the seventh and Garcia sealed it with another three-run homer to nearly the same spot.

"Honestly, I didn't even realize that I even hit two home runs," Garcia said.

Garcia's seven RBIs are the most in a single game in UCLA history. Bri Alejandre hit the final home run of the night, extending the Bruins' single-season NCAA record home run total to 200. With no one left to pitch, Ball-Malone put Payne back on the mound and she finished the game for the Knights.

Tinsley finished the game with 11 strikeouts, and gave up four earned runs, three walks and nine hits, marking her 24th complete game of the season and 32nd victory.

"I've been a part of some really big moments, but this team has a vibe about them that is calm," Inouye-Perez said. "It's contagious, and they live for these moments."

seed UCLA will play No. 1-seed Alabama in the first game of the WCWS on Thursday.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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This story was originally published May 23, 2026 at 11:02 PM.