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UCLA blanks South Carolina, punches ticket back to the WCWS

Screenshot 2025-02-05 152517by: Cooper Taylor05/25/25
Screenshot 2025-05-25 at 3.13.35 PM
Crash Kamon/Softball America

UCLA booked its 33rd trip to the Women’s College World Series after knocking off South Carolina 5-0 in the finale of the Columbia Super Regional.

South Carolina’s Sam Gress got her second straight start of the Super Regional versus UCLA. Unfortunately for Gress, three straight singles had the Bruins on the board in the opening frame for the first time this weekend. It was the bat of Jordan Woolery that put UCLA up 1-0, following her RBI single to center field. A four-pitch walk then loaded the bases with no outs, but Gress induced a pop out and a double play to limit the damage to one run.

For UCLA, head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez handed the ball back to Kaitlyn Terry, who started the first game, but did not make it out of the second inning on Friday. Terry logged back-to-back strikeouts to end a clean first inning.

In the second, Gress retired the bottom of the UCLA lineup in order. In the home half, Terry worked around a one-out single to hold the Bruins’ 1-0 lead.

A quiet third followed a scoreless second. Gress stranded a pair of runners to turn a clean third. In the bottom half, South Carolina put its first runner in scoring position but Terry punched out her fourth batter of the game to end the inning. In the circle, Gress put together the Gamecocks’ first 1-2-3 inning in the top of the fourth. Terry matched Gress in the home half, also retiring the side in order.

UCLA added insurance in the fifth. Following a one-out double from Jessica Clements and a line out, Gress was lifted for Jori Heard. On the first pitch from Heard, Woolery singled to right field, extending the Bruins’ lead to 2-0. Terry continued to roll in the home as well, keeping all of the momentum with UCLA after five innings.

Terry was lifted in the circle for Taylor Tinsley in the sixth, following a free pass and two warning track fly outs. Lexi Winters welcomed Tinsley with an infield single to extend the inning for Ella Chancey. With the tying run at first, Tinsley struck out the Gamecocks’ senior to end the sixth.

UCLA broke the game open in the seventh, sending nine batters to the plate. Clements led off with a single, then Savannah Pola leveled a double to left center. Woolery popped out, so a one-out walk to Megan Grant loaded the bases for freshman Rylee Slimp. She came in clutch. The UCLA freshman drew a full count before hitting a two-run single through the right side.

Right behind her, Alexis Ramirez singled to center field, plating UCLA’s fifth run. Another single for the Bruins chased Heard from the game, bringing in Nealy Lamb for the first time this weekend. Lamb limited the damage, though, holding the Bruins’ lead to 5-0.

Down to their final three outs, the middle of the Gamecock order faced Tinsley with their season on the line. Brooke Blankenship led off with a single in her final collegiate at-bat, but a line out, a strikeout and a pop out ended the Gamecocks’ Cinderella season.

More from Softball America:

Super Regional Coverage
Coaching Carousel Discussion Board
Transfer Portal Wire

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