That’s why Rachel Garcia is the back-to-back USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year.
The pitcher’s star rose to another stratosphere Sunday in Oklahoma City, pitching 10 shutout innings in an epic standoff against Washington in the Women’s College World Series and launching the walk-off three-run homer in the bottom of the 10th for a 3-0 victory that sends UCLA to its first WCWS championship series since 2010.
After throwing 179 pitches and recording a season-high 16 strikeouts, the junior crushed a no-doubter over the left field fence off to win the game. The typically stoic Garcia pumped her fist as she rounded the bases. A single tear rolled down her cheek during the postgame interview on ESPN. Pitcher Megan Faraimo fanned Garcia with an over-sized leaf on camera.
“I truly believe this definitely will go down as one of the top moments to get UCLA back in the championship game, especially after what happened last year,” UCLA head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez told reporters. “Super proud of her for that.”
Last year, the Bruins (54-6) lost twice on semifinal Sunday when Garcia wore down. The ace was determined to propel UCLA forward this season as the program plays for its first NCAA title since 2010. No. 2 UCLA will play either top-seeded Oklahoma or No. 8 Alabama in a best-two-of-three championship series starting Monday at 4:30 p.m. PT.
All-American pitchers dueled between UW’s duo of Gabbie Plain and Taran Alvelo and UCLA’s Garcia. Plain got the start and allowed just five hits and three walks with seven strikeouts. Alvelo entered in relief in the seventh and allowed three hits in three innings.
Garcia, who has pitched every inning of the WCWS for UCLA, outlasted both with the support of her teammates. She gave up eight hits and four walks in her longest outing of the season.
“After every single inning, me, Coach Lisa (Fernandez) and Paige (Halstead) would go into the training room and she was just telling me, ‘You got this. You’re mentally prepared for this moment. You’re going to keep going. You’re going to outlast every single one here,’ ” Garcia told reporters. “That’s what kept me mentality going.”
Fernandez, the former UCLA star pitcher and three-time Olympian, took over the pitching staff this season. She implemented extra conditioning exercises to test her pitchers and prepare them for long games. They practice in extra layers to prepare for hot weather.
Garcia has thrown 461 pitches in three WCWS games, but said on an adrenaline-fueled post-game high she felt like she could throw another game right there.
“We’ve been preparing since day one,” she said.
Garcia was at her best in big situations in the circle with five strikeouts with runners in scoring position. UW stranded 12 runners on base, including nine after the fifth inning.
In 22 innings pitched against co-Pac-12 champion Washington this season, including 12 in the regular season, Garcia didn’t give up a single run.
Garcia got help from her defense as left fielder Kelli Godin and third baseman Brianna Tautalafua made standout plays in foul territory. Godin laid out for catch in the top of the fifth. Tautalafua leaned over the dugout fence for a key catch in the 10th.
It looked as if Garcia had the winning hit in the eighth with two on and two out, but UW left fielder Sami Reynolds came up with a leaping catch in left field to end the threat. As she ran toward first, Garcia watched the ball fly through the air, but could only muster a wry smile when she watched it land in Reynolds’ glove.
In the same situation in the 10th, again with two on and two out, Garcia hit it clear over Reynolds’ head for the win.
Posted by https://goo.gl/TXzGV5THE ABSOLUTE
Nothing like hitting a walk-off 3-run homer to send @UCLASoftball to the #WCWS Championship Series after throwing 10 shutout innings with 16 strikeouts, right @raaaccchhheeell? pic.twitter.com/QUAlTcarX7
— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) June 2, 2019
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