The clock struck midnight on UCLA’s Bruin Magic.
After a season defined by miracle victories, the Bruins were one rally shy of losing 3-1 in a Women’s College World Series elimination game to No. 8 Stanford on Sunday at Devon Park.
Although UCLA (43-12) has scored just one run in its last two games, coach Kelly Inouye-Perez still called the season a successful return for the Bruins, who not only returned to Oklahoma City for the eighth time in nine seasons , but they also did. after struggling through the program’s worst start in nearly 40 years.
“When I put it all together, this is the best year of coaching I’ve ever experienced,” Inouye-Perez said, fighting back tears. “Man, building belief, building confidence, building a team that can fight. We were exactly where we needed to be and our time was up.”
The Bruins were 3-4 in February before winning 30 of their final 35 regular-season games. UCLA snapped a nation-leading 14-game winning streak into Saturday’s game against Oklahoma, then came up short against two of the nation’s best pitchers. After Oklahoma’s Kelly Maxwell held UCLA scoreless for the first time since April 7, Stanford ace NiJaree Canady held UCLA to four hits and one run with eight strikeouts on Sunday.
The USA Softball College Player of the Year struck out three-time back-to-back Pac-12 Player of the Year Maya Brady. The UCLA star tied his single-game career high and matched his strikeouts in UCLA’s loss to Oklahoma. She was 11-for-16 in the NCAA Tournament entering the World Series, but the program’s second-leading home run hitter was 0-for-7 in her last two games.
Before Brady and sophomores Megan Grant and Taylor Tinsley appeared for the postgame press conference, Inouye-Perez encouraged them to maintain their composure. But even the coach who made it through the team meeting without crying began to collapse on the dais. Then, in a final, graceful stance, Brady smiled at the end of his decorated career.
“Just a dream,” Brady said of his five-year tenure at UCLA. “I feel like as a kid you always look at the program, the coaching staff, the players. You think they are untouchable. Just to have the opportunity to wear this shirt, graduate, be close to my family. … Exceeded my expectations. We can never win, but believe me, I am winning in life.”
Brady will turn the program over to a talented sophomore class led by Tinsley. The pitcher threw 3 2/3 innings of relief on Sunday, giving up three hits and one run with one strikeout to keep the Bruins in contention against Canady.
Stanford (50-16) chased UCLA starter Kaitlyn Terry with a game-tying RBI double by Taryn Kern in the third inning, then Tinsley gave up the go-ahead hit on an RBI single by Ava Gall. The Cardinal extended their lead in the fifth, leading off with back-to-back bunts and scoring on a sacrifice fly by pinch hitter Allie Clements to bring home Emily Jones.
A two-run lead was far from insurmountable for a team that entered the World Series leading the postseason by 7.8 runs per game in the NCAA tournament. The Bruins nearly sparked a comeback when Savannah Pola was hit by a pitch with two outs in the seventh. Thessa Malau’ulu hit a line-drive past the Stanford shortstop to get two for the Bruins. The noisy fans in the UCLA section sitting behind the first base line waved their blue and gold pompoms as Ramsey Suarez entered the batter’s box.
The hitter fell to the ground.
Sophomore Megan Grant produced UCLA’s only run with a solo home run in the top of the third inning. She was one of the last players to leave the UCLA dugout after the game, standing at the top of the stairs to get one last look at the nation’s most famous softball stadium.
The seniors making their Oklahoma City debut delivered nearly all of UCLA’s key moments under the bright lights. First baseman Jordan Woolery won the opening game with a three-run home run in the sixth inning against Alabama. Tinsley and Terry, a freshman, held the three-time defending champion Sooners to one run in Saturday’s pitcher’s duel.
The opportunities were exactly what Tinsley dreamed of growing up when he watched the tournament with his father.
“Just being able to pitch, absorb the environment, have a lot of people watching you, I honestly love it,” Tinsley said. “That’s why I wanted to be a pitcher in the first place, having all eyes on me.”
The response drew laughter from Brady and Inouye-Perez, who elbowed each other and nodded.
“That’s such a pitching answer,” Brady said quietly.
Tinsley and Terry, who gave up three hits and two runs with three strikeouts Sunday in his third straight start, were major issues for a team that had experienced hitters throughout the order. They answered all the concerns with strong performances that have the Bruins plotting a return to the big stage.
“I wasn’t emotional at the meeting because I’m looking forward to the future,” Inouye-Perez said. “The experience they gained on this stage is real. They have a fire burning in their guts.”
