LOS ANGELES — The UCLA softball used a seven-run inning that included a solo home run and a grand slam to beat Arizona 11-7 at Easton Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Megan Grant hit a solo home run over the center field wall to begin the bottom of the fifth inning and Maya Brady hit a bases-loaded two-run double to score Seneca Curo and Taylor Stephens. Sharlize Palacios’ grand slam tied the game at 7-7.
Thessa Malau’ulu hit an RBI single in the sixth inning that allowed Jordan Woolery to score the go-ahead run.
The Bruins were held hitless until that fifth inning and were trailing 7-0. It was the most runs scored in one inning by UCLA (30-10 overall, 14-4 Pac-12) all season.
With the win, UCLA took two of the three games against Arizona (32-15-1, 13-11) in the weekend series. The Bruins won 10-2 in five innings on Friday — which extended their winning streak to seven games — and lost 8-4 on Saturday.
All three games featured sellout crowds as UCLA and Arizona met in for their last-ever rivalry series in the Pac-12. The Bruins will head to the Big Ten next season and Arizona is leaving for the Big 12.
Arizona’s Taylor Biehl hit a solo home run to start the second inning, but freshman pitcher Kaitlyn Terry struck out two hitters later in the frame to help get out of the inning.
Arizona kept the big hits coming with a two-run home run from Biehl in the top of the third inning. Olivia DiNardo also had sacrifice fly to left field earlier as the Wildcats grabbed a big early lead.
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UCLA softball beats Arizona in 5 innings to kick off rivalry weekend
UCLA scored additional runs in the sixth inning on an RBI double by Brady and a two-run single by Allchin.
Six UCLA seniors were honored as part of Sunday’s Senior Day celebrations: Brady, Allchin, Malau’ulu, Palacios, Janelle Meoño and Madison Pacini. Seneca Curo, the Bruins’ seventh senior, will be returning to UCLA for another season.
Brady will graduate as one of the most decorated UCLA softball players as the 2023 Pac-12 Player of the Year and Pac-12 batting champion. She also was a USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year finalist last year and was an NFCA First-Team All-American in 2021 and 2023.
Brady, who also plays for Team USA, is tied with Stephany LaRosa in career home runs with 66.