Rachel Garcia showed on Sunday why she is the two-time Player of the Year in college softball.
Garcia pitched 10 scoreless innings and then hit a walk-off 3-run home run in the bottom of the 10th inning to send UCLA to the championship series with a 3-0 win over Washington in Oklahoma City.
Garcia pitched all 10 innings for the Bruins, striking out 16 and allowing eight hits and walking four. She threw 179 pitches in all, 112 of which were strikes. The homer was Garcia’s 10th of the year and gave her 53 RBIs on the season. Her 10 scoreless innings lowered her season ERA to an impressive 0.98, while the win made her a sparkling 27-1.
Washington lost to Arizona in their first game of the Women’s College World Series and needed to beat UCLA twice to advance to the championship series for the second straight year. They started Gabbie Plain, relieved her with Taran Alvelo, and then re-entered Plain after Alvelo allowed a single to lead off the bottom of the 10th. Plain got two outs immediately before allowing a single and then the walk-off shot to Garcia.
UCLA, which is in the championship series for the first time since winning it all in 2010, faces the team to emerge between Oklahoma and Alabama.
Garcia, who is a member of the national team, has been making headlines for years and was last mentioned by us for her incredible perfect game loss in high school.
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