UCLA Is Stunned, but Wins Regional

Behind a stellar pitching performance by sophomore Keira Goerl, UCLA defeated South Carolina, 1-0, to avenge a stunning loss earlier in the day and win the NCAA softball regional Sunday at Columbia, S.C.

The Bruins (54-7) advanced to the Women’s College World Series for the fourth consecutive year. UCLA was one of four Pacific 10 Conference teams to advance from the eight regionals.

South Carolina (46-20) forced the winner-take-all game with a dramatic 2-1 victory.

The Gamecocks scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, the game-winner coming when Meghan Cornett scored on a wild pitch by Amanda Freed.

In the second game, Tairia Mims drove in Natasha Watley with a double to center field.

“I’m proud of the way we bounced back after the first game,” UCLA Coach Sue Enquist said. “It’s pretty tricky emotionally to recover in such a short time and I felt like we did that. We weren’t real impressive either offensively and defensively, but when we had to get it done, we got it done.”

Goerl made the run stand up by giving up only three hits, walking none and striking out 10.

In the seventh inning, left fielder Erin Rahn made a running catch with the tying and winning runs on base to end the game.

At Fresno, California ended Cal State Fullerton’s season with a 1-0 victory behind Jocelyn Forest’s four-hit shutout.

The Titans (53-13) threatened in the first inning when Gina Oaks was hit by a pitch and Jodie Cox reached on a bunt single. With one out, Forest walked Monica Lucatero to load the bases, but got Yasmin Mossadeghi to pop out and Amy LaRocque on a strikeout.

The Golden Bears (52-19) managed only three hits against Oaks, but one was Veronica Nelson’s infield single that scored Kristen Bayless in the third inning.

“I thought we were as good a team as anybody in this tournament,” Fullerton Coach Michelle Gromacki said. “I tip my cap to Cal because they are a heck of a team.”

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The NCAA men’s tennis semifinals have a decidedly Southern California flavor as USC and UCLA advanced with victories.

USC advanced to its first semifinal in eight years by defeating Illinois, 4-2, at College Station, Texas.

The Trojans (23-5), who will play Tennessee today, lost the doubles point, but got singles victories from Prakash Amitraj, Nick Rainey, Daniel Langre and Ruben Torres, Nos. 3-6 in their lineup.

UCLA (22-4) routed Auburn, 4-0, getting singles victories from Marcin Matkowski, Jean-Julien Rojer and Erfan Djahangiri.

Matkowski and Rojer teamed to help the Bruins win the doubles point.

Defending champion Georgia, which plays UCLA, got singles victories from Brandon Wagner, Lesley Joseph and Nicolas Boeker to defeat Pepperdine, 4-1. The Waves finished 25-5.

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On the strength of Brandon Boesch’s five-hitter, Pepperdine (29-30, 17-12) clinched the West Coast Conference’s Coast Division title Saturday with a 4-1 victory over Gonzaga.

The Waves will play West Division champion San Diego in a three-game series beginning Friday at Pepperdine to determine the conference champion.

Despite a 17-8 loss to Arizona State on Sunday and losing two of three games to the Sun Devils, first-place USC (31-22, 14-7) remained one game ahead of Washington and Stanford in the Pac-10.

Long Beach State helped boost its chances for a postseason berth with a three-game sweep of Pacific at Blair Field.

The 49ers (34-19, 14-7) finished the sweep with a 5-0 victory Sunday. Freshman Jered Weaver threw a four-hitter for Long Beach’s first complete game since March 17, 2000.