Rachel Garcia Tosses Complete Game Shutout, Leads UCLA Past Florida
Rachel Garcia Tosses Complete Game Shutout, Leads UCLA Past Florida
Rachel Garcia's complete game shutout was more than enough to push UCLA past Florida for the second time in three days.
Safe to say Rachel Garcia will play a starring role in Tim Walton’s nightmares moving forward.
For the second time in three days, it was the reigning National Player of the Year wreaking havoc on the third-ranked Florida Gators—this time, primarily, from the circle.
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Garcia delivered a complete game shutout—her fifth of the season—and struck out 10 batters, working through a few early hiccups without incident before locking in and dominating the Florida offense down the stretch.
“I’d say I definitely brought my ‘A’ game,” Garcia said. “I just try to stay relaxed and do my thing. No matter what my teammates have my back … Once I settled in with the strike zone and with Sully behind the plate, it just clicked.”
Rachel Garcia doing Rachel Garcia things.
— FloSoftball (@FloSoftball) March 1, 2019
???@UCLASoftball pic.twitter.com/QBYsPSLcQv
For the Gators, it was déjà vu all over again, with a UCLA pitcher holding their strong top-to-bottom lineup at bay. Florida has yet to score more than two runs in any of its four games in Fullerton, Calif., this week.
For her part, Gators’ pitcher Natalie Lugo was strong early and the defense behind her was fantastic, but the wheels came off in the bottom of the fourth inning.
After an infield hit, a bunt for a base hit and a walk loaded the bases with no one out, Bubba Nickles broke the scoreless tie with a 2 RBI single back through the middle, but the Bruins weren’t done.
Bubba Nickles coming through for the Bruins!@UCLASoftball pic.twitter.com/WMoKQdxOQ6
— FloSoftball (@FloSoftball) March 1, 2019
Aaliyah Jordan continued her early season tear with an RBI double to the left field wall and Garcia followed with an RBI single to centerfield to help herself out and give UCLA an unsurmountable four-run lead.
“We had a little Bruin Magic stirring up in the dugout,” Garcia said. “That was for sure the main thing that happened. We just had to do our thing. We really went into that inning with a gameplan and we just executed.”
For Florida, UCLA remains the only team the Gators have fallen to this year, as Walton’s bunch moves to 20-2 on the season. UCLA improves to 16-0.