Megan Grant broke the NCAA Division I single-season home run record with her 38th home run of the season, but UCLA lost to top-seeded Nebraska in the Big Ten Tournament championship game, 7-2, according to a May 9 announcement.
Grant’s historic homer came in the third inning against Jordy Frahm, giving UCLA a temporary 2-0 lead. The previous single-season record was set by Arizona’s Laura Espinoza in 1995. Grant now has a career total of 85 home runs, five short of UCLA’s all-time mark held by Stacey Nuveman.
Nebraska responded with five unanswered runs over the third and fourth innings. Hannah Camenzind delivered a bases-loaded single that brought in two runs and led to an additional score on a throwing error. In the fourth inning, Kacie Hoffman hit a two-run homer to extend Nebraska’s advantage.
The Huskers added two more runs in the sixth inning with Ava Kuszak hitting a solo shot and capitalizing on another Bruins error. UCLA managed only one base runner after the third inning; Jordan Woolery singled but was left stranded in the sixth.
UCLA started strong when Bri Alejandre reached on an infield single that allowed Aleena Garcia to score from first base following an errant throw. Despite this early momentum and Grant’s milestone blast, UCLA finished with just five hits for the game and could not mount another scoring threat.
Looking ahead, UCLA will await its placement for the NCAA Tournament. The tournament selection will be announced on ESPN2 at 4 p.m. Pacific Time on Sunday, May 10.
