The biggest rivalry in college softball resumes this
weekend.
No. 1 UCLA (eight) and No. 2 Arizona (six) have combined to win
14 of the 21 NCAA softball championships, and the two face each
other at Easton Stadium Saturday and Sunday.
“When two great teams with a sense of history meet, it
equates to a great rivalry,” UCLA head coach Sue Enquist
said.
UCLA (31-2, 3-0), and Arizona (34-3, 3-0) are expected to
compete for the national championship again, even though both teams
lost their best players over the offseason. UCLA lost all-time NCAA
home run leader Stacey Nuveman, and the Wildcats lost the best
pitcher in the country, Jennie Finch, a three-time first-team
All-American.
Still, both teams have a wealth of talent.
Bruins Natasha Watley and Tairia Mims have been hitting the ball
lately, raising their batting averages to .523 and .479,
respectively. Mims leads the team with 12 home runs.
“The way we’ve been playing lately, we’re in a
good place,” designated player Claire Sua said. “Every
game between us is a catfight.”
Arizona features outfielder Autumn Champion and shortstop Lovie
Jung; both are hitting .453. Jung was named the Pac-10 Player of
the Week this week.
“Lovie has come through for them, and Champion has been
setting the table,” Enquist said. “We have to keep her
off the bases.”
In the circle, both team’s ace pitchers have been
dominant.
UCLA’s Keira Goerl had a string of innings without
allowing an earned run end at 98 last weekend, raising her ERA to
0.15.
“My pitching has been disappointing,” Goerl said.
“I don’t feel like I’m pitching like I did in the
past.”
This, coming from a pitcher who threw a no-hitter on Friday.
Arizona’s Alicia Hollowell’s ERA is comparably
microscopic at 0.33.
Still, don’t expect a low-scoring affair. The scores of
the three meetings between the teams were 3-2, 6-5, and 4-2, last
year, with UCLA winning the final two.
“Every year, these games are a big thing,” Goerl
said. “We want to go out and beat them.”
The Bruins also play No. 14 Arizona State on Friday, at
home.