Friday, April 12, 1996
Bruins seek revenge after previous loss to top-ranked ArizonaBy
Brent Boyd
Daily Bruin Contributor
One of the most intense rivalries in collegiate sports will be
renewed on Saturday when top-ranked Arizona visits the No. 3 Bruins
in a key Pacific 10 softball doubleheader at 1 p.m. at Easton
Stadium.
For years these clubs have been the elite of NCAA softball,
playing each other in the national championship game four of the
last five years, and combining to win the last eight Pac-10
titles.
Two weeks ago, UCLA ventured into the desert and was shellacked
in a doubleheader by the revenge-minded Wildcats 5-4 and 5-0.
Arizona had been waiting for almost a year to have another shot at
UCLA after losing to the Bruins in last season’s national
championship game 4-2.
But UCLA (28-6 overall, 9-5 Pac-10) is the team with revenge on
its mind this time around, as they were embarrassed by their
apparent lack of effort in the previous encounter.
"We are really looking forward to this game, we want another
shot at them," said UCLA pitcher Kaci Clark. "We have been in a
little bit of a downward spiral lately and hopefully this game will
get us back on the right track."
The games represent the end of a treacherous three-weekend
stretch that featured two doubleheaders against the Wildcats
sandwiched around a doubleheader with second-ranked Washington.
As a result, the team has stumbled as of late and desperately
needs a sweep this weekend to stay in contention for the conference
championship. But, the team is not looking at Saturday as a
do-or-die situation.
"What we are focusing on is being able to play better every day
— one game at a time," co-head coach Sue Enquist said. "It’s an
important game, but they’re all important in the Pac-10."
Nevertheless, a sweep over the Wildcats would put them within
striking range of both Arizona (34-4, 7-1) and Washington, while
losing just one game could basically eliminate the Bruins from the
race.
To do so, UCLA will have to compete with the strongest hitting
lineup in the conference, as Arizona hits .373 collectively. Most
potent in the Wildcat lineup is senior Jenny Dalton, who is on the
verge of capturing the Pac-10 triple crown, with a .529 batting
average, 15 home runs and 71 RBIs. But, the Bruins counter with the
top-ranked pitching staff in the conference, with a 1.47 ERA.
PATRICK LAM/Daily Bruin
"We are really looking forward to this game," pitcher Kaci Clark
said of the Bruins’ doubleheader Saturday against No. 1 Arizona.
The Wildcats took two from UCLA a couple of weeks ago.