NCAA SOFTBALL : Gutierrez Hits Three Homers in Two Games to Lead UCLA

Top-seeded UCLA defeated Massachusetts, 11-1, in five innings on Sunday to advance to today’s championship game against second-seeded Arizona in the NCAA Division I women’s softball tournament at Oklahoma City.

UCLA (53-2) is undefeated in the double-elimination tournament, so Arizona (58-6), which has one loss, would have to win twice in order to claim the title.

The Bruins’ victory Sunday marked the second time in the tournament that UCLA’s game was called after five innings because of the 10-run rule. UCLA shut out fourth-seeded California, 10-0, on Saturday.

Yvonne Gutierrez hit a two-out, three-run home run, her second homer of the game, in the fifth inning to seal the win. It was Gutierrez’s third home run of the day. She also hit a first-inning, three-run home run to lead the Bruins to a 4-0 victory over Fresno State (52-16) earlier Sunday. Gutierrez’s three home runs is a tournament record and her season total of 11 is a UCLA record.

Heather Compton (14-1) four-hit eighth-seeded Massachusetts (39-16) and struck out 10 in five innings.

Massachusetts 2, Cal State Long Beach 1--Long Beach was eliminated when Massachusetts’ Stacey Nichols scored on a double to right field by Angyla Brumm in the 10th inning.

Amy Geldbach was four for five for Long Beach (40-32), which lost to Fresno State, 4-0, Saturday.