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UCLA bests Big Ten foe Oregon on WCWS Opening Day

Screenshot 2024-07-31 at 7.46.34 PMby:Brady Vernon•05/30/25•

BradyVernon

Screenshot 2025-05-29 at 11.28.59 PM
Crash Kamon/Softball America

While the Big Ten logos were stitched on the jerseys, the Pac-12 After Dark aura was still around on Thursday night, UCLA and Oregon capped off the 2025 Women’s College World Series. Jessica Clements sent the Bruin Bubble faithful home happy, hitting a walk-off homer to push the Bruins to a 4-2.

“You know, what’s so funny is the best part about Jessica is she’s so humble,” UCLA head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez. “When we recruited her from the portal, she actually had great numbers. And I asked her what her biggest fear was coming to UCLA because there were so many great things to look forward to. And she was excited about the program and knew a lot about the program, and she said: My biggest fear is am I going to be good enough to play at this level.

“I don’t know when it was, but it was later towards the season, but she was getting a little frustrated, and I had to tell her. I said, you know, and with the whole team, There’s no reason for you to get frustrated. You have one year to play softball here as a Bruin. And in one year, you have done so much to leave your name as somebody to be remembered on not just being able to hit for average, because she hits for high average, but her ability to hit for power.

“And she said, Coach, I didn’t hit home runs. But credit to our coaches. Credit to Jess. Credit to her. And I said to her in the dugout when she was 0-for — she ended up getting a hit, but she was 0-for, and I said: Introduce yourself on this stage. Let them know who you are. And she was dancing. So I was telling the team, just loose, just enjoying the moment, saying I love being here, This is so much fun.

“So to be able to see her end it with a walk-off. Her dream was to play here at Oklahoma City. There’s nothing better than to be able to hit a walk-off home run in Game 1 at the College World Series. That will be a memory she will have for a lifetime, period. I’m so proud of her.”

It was a bit of a mystery who UCLA would pick to be their starting pitcher against Oregon. All three of their primary arms had their ups and downs against the Ducks. Inouye-Perez went with lefty Kaitlyn Terry, and it proved to be the correct decision.

Terry was sharp from the start with good break on her riseball in the early part of the game. So much so that Rylee McCoy even struck out in the first and reached first on a wild pitch. In the later half of the game, Terry used her curveball to help paint the corners and fool batters into watching the third strike. Terry went the distance, allowing two runs on four hits and striking out six batters without surrendering a walk.

Kaitlyn Terry celebrates a strikeout (Crash Kamon/Softball America)

“Honestly, it was very different this time because they didn’t see my best the first time we played them,” said Terry about playing Oregon again. “So, honestly, just attacking them with my strength and my pitches because they just haven’t seen me, how I am.”

Oregon turned to small ball to score on Terry. Kaylynn Jones beat out an infield single to start the third. Jones moved over to third base after a sacrifice bunt from Katie Flannery and a groundout from Kai Luschar. That gave Oregon RBI leader Kedre Luschar a chance to give her team the lead. The senior cashed in with a single through the right side of the infield.

UCLA’s Savannah Pola nearly tied the game right back in the bottom half of the inning. She launched a pitch into the Oklahoma City night sky, but Kedre Luschar pressed up against the padding in center field, reached up and caught the would-be home run.

Kedre Luschar reaches up to catch a ball at the WCWS (Crash Kamon/Softball America)

The Bruins had a better read on Grein the second time through the order. Jordan Woolery took the first pitch of the fourth inning and sent it into left field for a leadoff single. Alexis “Lefty” Ramirez battled Grein, fouling a 2-2 pitch with decent contact. The next pitch, she got all of it. Ramirez blasted a two-run homer to the left field bleachers to give the Bruins a 2-1 lead. It was the first runs UCLA had scored against Grein in 15 innings against the Oregon All-American this season.

The Bruins forced Grein out of the game after Woolery and Megan Grant both reached to open the sixth. Elise Sokolsky came in and got Oregon out of the jam to keep the Ducks within one in the top of the seventh and it paid off.

Oregon shortstop Paige Sinicki led off the seventh with a double down the third-base line. She moved over to third after a sac bunt to put the tying run at third with one out. Emma Cox grounded a ball to Woolery at third, she tried to cut the run at home, which she did. However, after review, they called Ramirez for obstruction and allowing the tying run to score. Unfortunately for the Ducks, UCLA’s answer back ended it all.

Oregon will play Ole Miss in an elimination game on Friday at 9:30 p.m. on ESPN2. UCLA has a matchup with Texas Tech in the 1-0 game on Saturday at 7 p.m. on ESPN.

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