Softball storms past Aztecs in season opener
Bruins get 6-0 win
over SDSU despite
two-hour rain delay
By Rick Pal
The road to Oklahoma, the site of this year’s College World
Series, began Wednesday afternoon for the UCLA softball team.
The Bruins opened up the season with a convincing non-conference
victory, defeating the San Diego State Aztecs, 6-0, at Easton
Softball Stadium after a rain delay.
The game, originally scheduled for 1p.m., was tentatively
canceled after rain drenched the field. When the downpour cleared,
the teams chose to play, and after an infield crew straightened up
the infield, the game began, almost two hours late.
Despite the delay, it didn’t take long for the Bruins to get on
the scoreboard. All-American third baseman Jennifer Brundage broke
the game open in her first at bat of the season, blasting Aztec
pitcher Katrina King’s pitch well beyond the left field fence and
giving the Bruins a one-run lead in the first inning.
After Brundage’s home run, the game turned into a pitching duel
between King and Bruin pitcher B’Ann Burns. Burns, who earned the
starting role vacated by All-American DeeDee Weiman, didn’t miss a
beat, cruising through the SDSU lineup and finishing with a
complete-game shutout and seven strikeouts. She allowed only three
hits and four walks.
The only formidable threat the Aztecs could mount occurred in
the fourth inning, when Aztec pinch runner Kelly Ozaki was gunned
down at home plate after trying to score from second on a single by
first baseman Shanon Rice.
The Bruins put the exclamation point on the victory in the
bottom of the sixth, scoring five runs while batting through the
order.
Second baseman Kelly Howard started the inning with a line drive
single, and advanced to second on a well-placed bunt single by
center fielder Kathi Evans. Brundage ripped a double down the third
base line, scoring Howard as well as igniting the scoring drive.
UCLA tallied up four more runs, sealing the Aztec’s fate. The runs
were scored by Brundage, who finished the game batting a perfect
1.000, Evans, pinch runner Ginny Mike and first baseman Alleah
Poulson.
The Bruins open conference play in with a double header at
Arizona State on Saturday. Last year, the Sun Devils season record
was 22-41 overall, and 7-17 in conference play.