Megan Grant tied the UCLA career home run record with her 90th blast Thursday, but the Bruins left Devon Park with far more than a milestone to think about after Alabama beat No. 8 UCLA 6-3 in the Women’s College World Series opener.
The home run came in a game UCLA led 3-1 before Alabama answered with five runs across the fifth and sixth innings, turning Grant’s swing into a footnote in a loss that pushed the Bruins to the brink of elimination. Grant, who now shares the school mark with Stacey Nuveman at 90 career home runs, sent a 249-foot shot over the fence after entering the game as one of the most dangerous hitters in the sport; she still owns the NCAA single-season record with 41 homers.
That power was there from the start. UCLA entered with 207 home runs on the season, and Alabama came in with 99 before adding two more to reach 101. The difference was not the long ball alone. Alabama also produced the timely hits UCLA could not answer when runners were on, and that gap showed up again after the Bruins had built their early lead.
Kelly Inouye-Perez said after the game that it was a tough matchup against a tough opponent, and she pointed to the missed chances with traffic on the bases as the separation. Taylor Tinsley took the loss after allowing 10 hits and two walks in six innings and throwing 104 pitches, while Jordan Woolery went 1-for-3 with a strikeout against Jocelyn Briski. Alabama, now 55-7, homered twice and kept coming; UCLA fell to 52-9.
For Grant, the night was another reminder of how much damage she can do even in defeat. She and Nuveman now sit alone atop the Bruins’ career home run list, and Inouye-Perez said the encouraging part is that teams still have to pitch to Grant. UCLA gets no time to savor that. The Bruins face Arkansas on Friday night at 6:30, and one more loss would send them home.
