Washington softball hangs on to beat No. 14 UCLA

The Washington Huskies held on in the seventh inning to take the first game of a tough series stretch against the UCLA Bruins.

Powered by a four-run first inning, the No. 8 Washington Huskies were able to earn a 6-5 victory over the No. 14 UCLA Bruins. Coach Heather Tarr’s team got off to a hot start thanks to a two-run home run by outfielder Alana Johnson.

Infielder Brooke Nelson brought home Kinsey Fiedler with an RBI double and catcher Sydney Stewart knocked in Olivia Johnson on an RBI single to cap off four straight hits in the opening frame for the Huskies.

Fiedler also scored a run on a throwing error after stealing third base in the third inning and hit a solo home run in the fifth inning, her fifth homer of the season. She went 3 for 4 with an RBI and 3 runs scored, while graduate transfer Jillian Celis and outfielder Avery Hobson each added 2 hits in the win.

In the circle, sophomore Ruby Meylan got the start and allowed 3 earned runs on 7 hits across three innings, including a two-run home run to catcher Sharlize Palacios. Meylan gave way to first-year Sidne Peters, who earned her third win of the season after walking 3 batters and struck out 2 over two innings of work.

It was a group effort from Washington’s pitching staff, with Nelson coming in for 1 2/3 innings of relief, allowing 1 hit and 1 unearned run. Lindsay Lopez got the final out of the night to earn her first save of the season.

The Huskies improved to 21-4 on the season and 5-2 in Pac-12 play, while the Bruins fell to 17-7 overall and 3-1 in conference play. The two teams will face off again on Saturday afternoon at 2:00 inside Husky Softball Stadium.