UCLA surrenders 10 runs in an inning, rallies to win NCAA regional opener on walk-off
UCLA fell behind 11-7 during its NCAA regional opener Friday, but the Bruins' mighty bats help them rally for a 12-11 win over California Baptist.
UCLA's Rylee Slimp, Bri Alejandre and Aleena Garcia celebrate after Garcia hit a walk-off sacrifice fly against California Baptist during an NCAA Regional Easton Stadium on Friday. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times) The Bruin Bombers struck again Friday night, capping an epic rally during the opening round of the Los Angeles NCAA Regional. The No.
7 UCLA softball team has been dubbed the Bruin Bombers because of the record-setting home runs they’ve been hitting this season. That clutch hitting helped the Bruins avoid a painful loss to open postseason play. Shortstop Aleena Garcia became the hero on Friday night at Easton Stadium, hitting a sacrifice fly to right field with one out to in the seventh inning bring in Rylee Slimp and seal a 12-11 win over California Baptist (43-18).
The Lancers held an 11-7 lead going into the sixth inning before UCLA mounted a comeback. “It’s a credit to [associate head] coach Lisa [Fernandez,]” first baseman Jordan Woolery said when asked about the team’s nickname. “Her offensive coaching style has changed how we’ve all played this year, and you can see it [batters] one through nine.
” 🪄 BRU-WIN MAGIC IS BACK 🪄 pic. twitter. com/aPdLx0woxo — UCLA Softball (@UCLASoftball) May 16, 2026 The fifth inning was a disaster for UCLA, nearly costing the Bruins the win.