The No. 17 Florida Softball team (18-7) is now 2-2 in the Stacy Winsberg Memorial Tournament in Los Angeles. The Gators split games Saturday, losing to host No. 12 UCLA in the afternoon and defeating Loyola-Chicago 2-0 in the nightcap.

Senior Lauren Roussell (Cerritos, Calif.) started the Gator bats as she sent a home run sailing over the right centerfield fence until it hit the batting cage beyond the fence.

Florida added another run in the bottom of the sixth. Sophomore Savana Kelly (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) opened the inning with a base hit to left center. Sophomore Brooke Johnson (Lakeland, Fla.) entered the game to run for Kelly at first. An Ali Gardiner (Waccabuc, N.Y.) double to left scored Johnson from first for the 2-0 Gator lead.

Senior Stacey Stevens (Gainesville, Fla.) struck out six and gave up five hits in the win to improve her record to 7-4 on the year. Sophomore Stacey Nelson (Los Alamitos, Calif.) came in to relieve Stevens with one out and runners on second and third in the top of the seventh. She struck out the final two batters of the game to earn her second save of the year and seventh of her career. She has now tied Amanda Knowles for the career record in saves.   

Despite a great start to the game, Florida suffered its worst loss of the season with 10-2, run-rule loss to No. 12 UCLA in the first game of the day.

Florida got on the board first in the top of the opening frame. Sophomore Kim Waleszonia, being cheered on by a bus load of fans from her hometown of Fontana, Calif., knocked a double to the right field wall to lead off the inning. Roussell moved Waleszonia to third with a sacrifice bunt. Waleszonia gave the Gators a one-run lead as she scored on a wild pitch from UCLA pitcher Angelica Selden.

UCLA answered and took a one-run lead of its own in the bottom of the inning. Florida pitcher Nelson hit Kaila Shull with a pitch with one out in the inning. Following a second out, Jodie Legaspi knocked a base hit through the right side. Megan Langenfeld was hit by another Nelson pitch to load the bases. Jaisa Creps took the 10th pitch offered her for a two-run base hit through the left side for the 2-1 Bruin lead.

The Bruins added to their lead in the third as Langenfeld, who reached on a walk, scored from third on a sacrifice fly to left by Whitney Holum.

UCLA added five more runs in the bottom of the fifth on four hits, three walks and a hit batter.

In the top of the sixth, Kelly took 1-1 offering from Selden over the fence in left center for her first home run of the year.

Nelson took the loss for Florida as she gave up eight of UCLA’s runs before being relieved by freshman Corrie Brooks (Christmas, Fla.) with two outs in the fifth. Selden earned the win for the Bruins.  

Florida concludes Winsberg Tournament play on Sunday at noon ET against Illinois State.