logo
More Bruin magic: Jessica Clements' walk-off home run powers UCLA past Oregon at WCWS

More Bruin magic: Jessica Clements' walk-off home run powers UCLA past Oregon at WCWS

Yahoo30-05-2025
Jessica Clements hit a walk-off, two-run home run in the seventh inning early Friday morning to carry ninth-seeded UCLA past No. 16 Oregon 4-2 at the Women's College World Series, after the Ducks tied the game in the top of the inning on a call at home plate that was overturned.
Catcher Alexis Ramirez also hit a two-run homer in support of Bruins' starter Kaitlyn Terry, who pitched a four-hitter and gave up one earned run. UCLA (55-11) will play No. 12 seed Texas Tech on Saturday at 4 p.m. (PDT) for a spot in the semifinals. Oregon (53-9) will face unseeded Mississippi in Friday's elimination game.
Oregon's Paige Sinicki doubled inside the third-base line to lead off the seventh, but the ruling was challenged by UCLA. The call was upheld, but the next hitter, Dezianna Patmon bunted Sinicki to third with one out. Emma Cox followed with a ground ball to third baseman Jordan Woolery, who tried to throw Sinicki out at home. The throw to Ramirez was on time and Sinicki was ruled out at home for the second out.
Advertisement
Oregon challenged the call, and it was overturned after a video review showed obstruction by Ramirez.
Oregon led 1-0 in the fourth inning when Ramirez hit a two-out pitch from starter Lyndsey Grein over the left-field wall to give UCLA a 2-1 lead. It was the first runs the Bruins had scored against Grein in four games this season. The Ducks took two of three from UCLA in April.
After Woolery singled and Megan Grant walked to open the sixth, Grein was pulled in favor of Elise Sokolsky, who retired the next two batters.
Lightning and rain resulted in a 75-minute delay, and two brief power outages lasting less than a minute each, turned Devon Park dark in the first inning.
Advertisement
Oregon scored first against Terry in the third inning. Kaylynn Jones led with an infield single before a bunt by Katie Flannery. Jones took third on a ground out by Kai Luschar. Her sister, Kedre Luschar, then drove in Jones on a single to right field.
The Bruins nearly answered in their half of the inning when Savannah Pola drove a pitch from Grein 220 feet to the base of the center-field wall that was hauled in by Kedre Luschar to end the inning.
Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Perez's single in 10th lifts Royals over Braves 1-0. KC ties record by using 9 pitchers in shutout
Perez's single in 10th lifts Royals over Braves 1-0. KC ties record by using 9 pitchers in shutout

Yahoo

time25 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Perez's single in 10th lifts Royals over Braves 1-0. KC ties record by using 9 pitchers in shutout

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Salvador Perez drove in MJ Melendez with a single leading off the 10th inning, and the Kansas City Royals beat the Atlanta Braves 1-0 on Wednesday while matching a major league record by using nine total pitchers in the shutout. Sam Long (1-2) was the last of the relievers for Kansas City. He had runners on the corners with nobody out in the 10th before striking out Sean Murphy and Eli White and getting Luke Williams to line out to left field. Kansas City put Melendez on second base as a pinch runner in the bottom half, and Perez rapped the second pitch from Daysbel Hernandez (4-2) into the gap in right field to give the Royals the win. The only other club to use nine pitchers in a shutout was Cleveland, which also did it in a 10-inning game in 2016. Joey Wentz, claimed off waivers by the Braves earlier this month, dazzled while pitching a mere 25 minutes away from Shawnee Mission East High School, where he put together one of the best prep pitching careers in Kansas history. The former first-round draft pick has largely failed to live up to expectations, and he carried a 5.76 ERA into his fourth start for Atlanta. But Wentz allowed just one hit and three walks over 6 2/3 innings, striking out seven. With their rotation ailing, the Royals countered with a contingent of relief pitchers. Angel Zerpa started on no rest and pitched into the second, and Jonathan Bowlan was their only reliever who retired more than three batters — he went two innings. John Schreiber struck out the side in the fourth, and Hunter Harvey escaped a two-on, no-out jam in the sixth by recording three consecutive outs. Key moment Long's escape in the 10th set up Perez's winning hit in the bottom half. Key stat The low-scoring affair came after the Braves won the series-opener 10-7 and the Royals won 9-6 on Tuesday night. Up next The Braves have not announced their starter for Thursday in Cincinnati, though newly acquired RHP Carlos Carrasco is likely to get the ball. The Royals have the day off before opening a series Friday night in Toronto. ___ AP MLB:

Cam Ward calls Titans offense 'very mid right now,' takes accountability for unit's training camp struggles
Cam Ward calls Titans offense 'very mid right now,' takes accountability for unit's training camp struggles

Yahoo

time25 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Cam Ward calls Titans offense 'very mid right now,' takes accountability for unit's training camp struggles

During Tennessee Titans training camp last week, Cam Ward made some awe-inspiring throws and said he believes his offense is capable of being one of the best in the NFL this season. This week, the rookie quarterback chose different words to describe his unit. "I just think we're very mid right now," Ward said Wednesday. "From my position, to up front, to the receiver position, but, at the end of the day, it all starts with me." Ward, this year's No. 1 overall pick, added: "I just don't think we're where we need to be. But we've got a little bit of time. Every day we get better as a whole. We're a young team. But that's no excuse." The Titans are young, and growing pains are inevitable for an organization that's rebuilding. Ward isn't exempt from those, either. Ward has thrown four interceptions over the past two practices, the first two padded practices of camp. His lone pick Wednesday stemmed from a quick pass over the middle that linebacker Cody Barton got a piece of, and that cornerback Roger McCreary ultimately intercepted, as detailed by multiple reports. On Tuesday, Ward was picked off three times. Timing and rhythm have been problematic for the offense. "I have to get on the same page with my receivers, watch more film and be more accurate with the football," Ward said, per ESPN's Turron Davenport. Work ethic isn't a problem for Ward, who arrives at the Titans facility at 5:30 every morning to watch tape. NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah reported last week that Ward has already won over the Tennessee locker room. Nothing has come easy to Ward, anyway. He took the road less traveled to the NFL, making stops at Incarnate World and Washington State before putting up prolific numbers and nearly making the College Football Playoff in his lone season at Miami. A crafty playmaker, Ward can throw from a handful of arm slots, but that super power has recently created some issues for himself in training camp such as tipped passes and ricochets. He doesn't see it that way, though. "I actually think it's not even a learning point. I've been throwing sidearm since I was 6 years old," Ward said, per The Tennessean. "I had tipped balls when I was in high school. I had tipped balls when I was in college. I have tipped balls here in practice and I'm going to have tipped balls during the season. I'm not really worried about that, it's about how you bounce back the next play." Bouncing back will be critical for the Titans, not just for Ward or just in training camp but for the entire team the entire season. Tennessee is coming off a 3-14 season, after which general manager Ran Carthon was fired. The Titans hit the reset button, and Ward has to right — er, save — the sinking ship that was the Tennessee offense, a unit that averaged a meager 18.3 points per game in 2024. He's got the skill set to bump that average up significantly, even in Year 1. But he'll have to weather the storm that is adversity. So will the rest of an offense that's led by a rookie quarterback.

Busch's leadoff homer, Ballesteros' 3-run double help Cubs beat Brewers 10-3 to avoid sweep
Busch's leadoff homer, Ballesteros' 3-run double help Cubs beat Brewers 10-3 to avoid sweep

Yahoo

time25 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Busch's leadoff homer, Ballesteros' 3-run double help Cubs beat Brewers 10-3 to avoid sweep

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Michael Busch homered on the game's first pitch, Moisés Ballesteros hit a bases-clearing double and the Chicago Cubs trounced the Milwaukee Brewers 10-3 on Wednesday to avoid a three-game sweep. Milwaukee leads Chicago by one game in the NL Central. The teams meet once more this season, a five-game series at Chicago from Aug. 18-21. Ian Happ homered, Pete Crow-Armstrong went 3 for 4 with two doubles and Kyle Tucker was 2 for 3 with two RBIs for the Cubs. Milwaukee's William Contreras had his fifth career two-homer game. The two-time All-Star had homered just once since May 23. Cubs starter Shota Imanaga (8-4) struck out eight, walked none and gave up three runs and five hits in five innings. Milwaukee's Freddy Peralta (12-5), who had won his last seven starts, allowed a season-high five runs in four innings. Busch opened the game with a 388-foot shot to right for his 21st homer. Contreras answered in the bottom half with his first homer since June 14. He led off the fourth with an opposite-field shot to right. The Cubs padded their lead with three runs in the sixth and two in the ninth. Key moment Crow-Armstrong hit a grounder that glanced off the glove of diving second baseman Brice Turang and into right field for a double that made it 2-1 in the third. Ballesteros hit his three-run double later in the inning. Key stat Peralta struck out three and has 1,083 for his career, passing Teddy Higuera (1,081) for third in franchise history. He trails Yovani Gallardo (1,226) and Ben Sheets (1,206). Up next Cade Horton (4-3, 3.67) pitches for the Cubs on Friday in the opener of a series against visiting Baltimore. José Quintana (7-4, 3.50) is the Brewers' scheduled starter for Friday as they welcome Washington and Mitchell Parker (7-10, 4.91). ___ AP MLB:

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store