Rhodes leads Auburn past UCLA 10-3 in WCWS

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Jade Rhodes had three hits and scored twice to help Auburn beat UCLA 10-3 on Thursday on the opening day of action at the Women’s College World Series.

Auburn scored five runs on just one hit in the bottom of the first inning. Four Tigers players were hit by pitches, and three of them scored. The lone hit was a double by Kasey Cooper, who later scored.

The Tigers (55-10) extended their lead to 7-0 in the third when Emily Carosone’s single knocked in two runs.

UCLA (40-15-1) made it a game when Mysha Sataraka hit a three-run homer in the top of the fourth, her 14th blast of the season. Auburn scored once in the fourth and twice in the sixth to pull away.

The game was a rematch of last year’s world series showdown, when Auburn beat UCLA 11-10 in 10 innings to eliminate the Bruins.