March 10, 2012

Box Score
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LAKEWOOD, Calif. - Seniors Samantha Camuso, Andrea Harrison, Katie Schroeder and Dani Yudin and junior B.B. Bates all had two-hit games, while sophomore Jessica Hall fanned seven in four innings, as the 17th-ranked Bruins defeated Charleston Southern 9-1 in five innings on Saturday at the Long Beach State Invitational at Mayfair Park.

The Bruins improve to 18-6 with the win, while the Buccaneers fall to 10-10.

Schroeder and Yudin each hit home runs, while Yudin and sophomore Kellie Fox both drove in three.

Hall (9-3) struck out a pair in the first, third and fourth innings, retiring the side in order in the fourth. Junior Destiny Rodino tossed a 1-2-3 fifth frame to earn her first save of the season, striking out two.

After Charleston Southern stranded the bases loaded in the top of the first inning after receiving two errors and recording an infield single, the Bruins responded by scoring in their first at-bat in the bottom of the frame, as Schroeder hit her second home run of the season over both fences in right field to make it 1-0. Harrison followed with a single up the middle, but was forced at second when freshman Stephany LaRosa grounded into a fielder's choice to short. One out later, Camuso laced a single the opposite way through the left side and Yudin drove in the second run of the inning on a single up the middle to plate LaRosa.

The Buccaneers rallied with two outs in the second, as Melissa Adams reached on an infield single just past the second base bag and scored on a triple to right by Megan Lombard when freshman Ally Carda missed on a diving catch attempt.

UCLA added two more on one swing in the third. With one out, Camuso drew a four-pitch walk and Yudin hammered a pitch that nicked off the top of the left-field wall and out for her fourth homer of the season to make it 4-1.

The Bruins busted it open and invoked the mercy rule for the fourth straight game with five runs in the fifth. UCLA loaded the bases on singles by Bates and Camuso and a walk to Yudin. Fox would clear the bases with a triple to right, scoring Bates and freshmen Tara Mueller (running for Camuso) and Kaelin Sprawls (running for Yudin) to make it 7-1. Fox then scored on a passed ball to bring home the Bruins' eighth run. A Carda walk and a pinch-hit infield single by sophomore Alyssa Tiumalu brought up Schroeder, who bounced a slow roller to short. A tough play turned into an error for Lombard, as the ball skipped into the outfield, allowing Carda to score the mercy-rule clinching run.

The Bruins play twice on Sunday to conclude this weekend's action, facing Pittsburgh (8:45 a.m.) and Utah State (1:30 p.m.). Gametracker will be available at UCLABruins.com, with live updates also available at twitter.com/uclasoftball.