UCLA softball charged to its 12th NCAA championship and 13th title overall this week in the Women’s College World Series — but it was the team’s first since 2010.
And, in the best-of-three series, the Bruins won their second game for the title in thrilling fashion Tuesday, walking off for the 5-4 win.
With a 4-4 tie in the bottom of the seventh, two outs and a runner on second, Kinsley Washington’s RBI single to left field sent Colleen Sullivan — who reached second on a wild pitch — home for the victory and the championship. UCLA won the first game of the series, 16-3, on Monday.
After going 4-for-4 in Game 1 of the series, Washington went 2-for-4 in the title-winning game with her lone but perfectly timed RBI in the final inning, ensuring no need for a deciding Game 3.
Pitcher Rachel Garcia was named the Most Outstanding Player of the World Series. She pitched five innings in Game 1 against the Sooners and all seven in Game 2, and she had a walk-off home run in the Bruins’ semifinal win against Washington Sunday.
Here’s another angle of this phenomenal play:
The Sooners came back from a 3-1 deficit and tied it up in the fourth inning, but UCLA took a one-run lead in the fifth. Trying to save its championship hopes, Oklahoma’s Shay Knighten hit a solo home run in the top of the seventh to tie the game at 4-4, but her team’s defense couldn’t keep UCLA off the board in the second half of the inning.
Here’s a look at all the full highlights from Game 2 and UCLA’s win in the Women’s College World Series.
