By Jim Guthrie Daily Bruin Contributor
The No. 3 UCLA softball team found the best way to beat some
difficult Pac-10 opponents last weekend – don’t let them score.
Bruin pitchers Stephanie Swenson and Amanda Freed allowed only
one run in the three victories, a 6-1 defeat of No. 4 California
and a 1-0, 8-0 sweep of No. 8 Stanford.
UCLA is now starting to show the consistent play of a defending
national champion, which had eluded them in the early parts of the
season. Their Pac-10 opening signaled a wake-up call for the Bruins
as they raced through the weekend running on all cylinders.
"I am really pleased with the consistency," head coach Sue
Enquist said. "Up until this point, we had difficulty playing good
softball back-to-back. This weekend we showed how good we are when
they play with a disciplined bat and good glove."
One of the main reasons for the offensive shutdown was the
Bruins’ stellar defense, especially in the outfield as sophomore
Erin Rahn and freshman Natasha Watley ran down some tough balls
that could have turned the games against the Bruins.
"This team has a tendency to get cocky, but they played with
great defense," Enquist said. "I am really pleased in how they take
pride in the defense. They are doing all of the little things
correctly."
The Bruin bats got off to a slow start, but exploded to produce
some huge numbers. Against Cal on Friday, UCLA broke open a
scoreless game in the fifth inning when Watley tripled home Freed.
In the sixth, three singles led up to Toria Auelua’s RBI single.
And then the flood gates broke open in the seventh as the Bruins
tallied four runs on a two-run single by Lyndsey Klein and a
two-run homer by catcher Julie Marshall.
In Saturday’s victory over Stanford, the lone run came on
Lyndsey Klein’s sacrifice to bring home Lupe Brambila, who had
reached base on a triple.
The scoring was more plentiful on Sunday, though, when UCLA
broke through the pitching of Stanford ace Tori Nyberg for eight
runs. The Bruins scored two runs with two out in the first as Klein
scored on a bloop single by Marshall, who then came home after
three walks.
Another two-out rally in the third produced four more runs as
the Bruins capitalized on multiple Cardinal mistakes. Stanford
committed two errors on Casey Hiraiwa’s shot back to the pitcher
that Nyberg tossed over the first baseman’s head. The Bruins added
two more runs in the fourth on sacrifice flies by Klein and
Marshall.
The main story of the weekend, however, was the Bruins’ power on
the mound. Freed added two victories to go to 13-2 on the season
and pitched a one-hitter on Sunday. Swenson’s victory over Cal on
Friday pushed her record to a perfect 8- 0 after stepping in for
junior Courtney Dale, who is out with a shoulder injury.
"The pitchers did an awesome job," Klein said. "The Pac-10 is so
hard and they kept us in the game until we scored. No matter who is
on the mound, we know they are going to get it done and it is a
great feeling."