Carda knocked a bases-loaded double in the second to put the game out of reach for UCLA.
LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Senior Ally Carda did it at the plate and in the circle on Sunday, recording a pair of hits, including a bases-clearing double, while tying a career high with 11 strikeouts in the No. 13 Bruins’ 8-2 victory against Northwestern at the 49er Softball Complex.
Carda (8-3) gave up two runs, two hits and six walks in her six innings. She struck out at least one in every inning, fanning the side in the fifth, a pair in the second, third and sixth and one in the first and fourth. Carda had 1-2-3 innings in all her odd-numbered frames. Freshman Selina Ta’amilo tossed the seventh and struck out one in a scoreless inning, giving up two hits.
Seven of the nine Bruin starters had at least one hit, with UCLA recording nine as a team. Along with Carda’s two, junior Brittany Moeai also had a two-hit contest.
UCLA scored in the bottom of the first without the benefit of a hit. With one out, sophomore Delaney Spaulding walked and stole second, while freshman Kylee Perez followed with a free pass. After a foul out to right off the bat of senior Stephany LaRosa advanced both runners a base, Spaulding scored on a passed ball to put the Bruins on the board.
The Bruins broke it open with six in the second. Moeai led off with a single to right, and one out later, senior Gracie Goulder walked with a single to left by junior Allexis Bennett loading the bases. Carda then cleared them with a double over the right fielder’s head to make it 4-0, as Carda took third on the throw home.
Spaulding followed with a grounder to short, but it was thrown away by Andrea Filler, as Carda scored the Bruins’ fifth run. After Perez grounded into a fielder’s choice to third to force Spaulding at second, LaRosa tripled to right to plate Perez to make it 6-0. A single through the right side by sophomore Gabrielle Maurice brought home LaRosa to put UCLA up 7-0.
In the top of the sixth, the Wildcats broke up the no-hitter and shutout. A leadoff single just inside the right-field line by Andrea DiPrima gave Northwestern its first hit, and one out later, Amy Letourneau homered to center to make it a 7-2 game.
UCLA got one of the runs back in its half of the sixth, as Spaulding crushed her first homer of the season over the wall in left-center to put the Bruins up 8-2.
