The United States Olympic Softball Team’s exhibition
against No. 2 UCLA on Sunday started like a typical, elite-level
game.
The Bruins’ Keira Goerl and Team USA’s Lisa
Fernandez ““ who is a former Bruin ““ were taking turns
shutting down the opposing hitters, waiting for the other team to
make a mistake.
Goerl, who tried out for the Olympic team but did not make the
final cut, overcame some early jitters and looked ready to make a
statement.
But UCLA’s hopes crumbled into the infield dirt during a
mistake-filled third inning, as Team USA scored eight runs and
cruised to an 11-0 mercy rule victory.
“You’ve got to be able to pick the ball up and throw
it,” UCLA coach Sue Enquist said. “I don’t want
to minimize their talent, but the complexion of the game changes
when you lie down and you don’t execute defensively. The
Olympic team is too good. They sniff that out and they annihilate
you.”
The inning started with a pair of infield singles by Team USA,
bringing up UCLA alumna Natasha Watley. She laid down a sacrifice
bunt, the typical play for a low-scoring game.
But Goerl made an errant throw to Lisa Dodd, who was covering
first base. Dodd stretched out to grab the throw, Watley ran
through her arm, Dodd dropped the ball, everyone was safe, a run
scored, and the rout was on.
Four of the next five runners reached base, and right fielder
Kelly Kretchman capped the inning with a grand slam to the gap in
left field.
“I think a lot of people are going to look at this game
and go, “˜man, they lit up (Goerl), grand slam,'”
said catcher Emily Zaplatosch. “I don’t really think
she got lit up. I think that wouldn’t have happened if the
short game didn’t get us.”
“We still feel that we could have beat them if we would
have put out defensively,” Zaplatosch added.
Goerl gave up eight runs in the inning, underscoring UCLA’s
mistakes and how effective the Olympic team was in exploiting
them.
“When you can cause people to make quick decisions,
anything can happen,” Team USA coach Mike Candrea said.
He said that putting the team together and having to make
decisions about players like Goerl ““ coming off a season
during which she was named College World Series MVP ““ was the
hardest thing he has had to do as a coach.
“We have a very large pool (of players) that are able to
represent this country for a long time at a very high level,”
Candrea said. “What it comes down to is you’re
splitting hairs.”
Goerl has been dominant against collegiate competition this
season. She is 15-0 this season and has only allowed six earned
runs, but she was charged with 10 earned runs on Sunday.
The Bruins were equally outmatched when they were batting as
Lisa Fernandez, the winning pitcher in the gold medal game of the
1996 and 2000 Olympics, showing why she is considered the best
softball player in the world.
Four the first four innings she was untouchable, confusing the
Bruins with her off-speed pitches. She gave up only one hit, an
infield single to Zaplatosch in the fifth inning.
“It was good that we were able to get one,”
Zaplatosch said. “I didn’t even hit it that well. I
kind of got lucky, I’ll have to admit, but she’s the
best pitcher in the country.”
Yet the game was difficult emotionally for Fernandez, who played
at UCLA from 1990 to 1993 and is currently a volunteer assistant
coach for UCLA.
“It’s a lose-lose,” Fernandez said. “Our
team did great but there’s a part of me that wanted to see
some good things over in the other dugout, but when you step on the
field its business. There’s a lot of time invested, not only
myself into them but them into myself.”
Zaplatosch said that once the game started, it was fun to face
Fernandez and try to get a hit off her.
For Enquist, it was a chance to talk about how much Fernandez
means to the program, as a player, an ambassador, a role-model and
a coach.
“She is one of the finest young coaches this game
has,” Enquist said. “We focus so much on her as a
player. She single-handedly is a huge reason why our pitchers have
developed like they have.”
The UCLA-Team USA connections run deep. Five former Bruins
““ Tairia Flowers (formerly Tairia Mims), Amanda Freed, Stacey
Nuveman, Fernandez and Watley ““ are members of the 2004
Olympic team. Flowers, Fernandez, Freed and Watley all started for
Team USA, and Nuveman pinch hit in the fifth inning.
“Today was awesome,” Fernandez said. “It was
almost like an alumni game. To think what kind of athletes UCLA
produces and where they go and in 2008 you’re going to see a
few more in Keira Goerl and Lisa Dodd and Jodie Legaspi and Emily
Zaplatosch. You can go down the line, Caitlin Benyi, it’s
amazing and that’s what’s so nice, to have that kind of
tradition.”
But for now, the game was a disappointment. While the Bruins
were not expected to win, Enquist wanted her team to make a better
showing.
Enquist was particularly critical of her team’s defense,
which has been its weakness all season long. She said the
team’s mistakes were not just a case of the jitters due to
facing the Olympic team.
“We do that Monday through Friday and we are
inconsistent,” Enquist said. “Don’t say
it’s just jitters and I’m going to be OK next time. Oh
no you won’t.”
Zaplatosch said this is what she will take away from this game,
as a way of preparing for the Pac-10 season. The Bruins begin
conference play this weekend, playing one game at Arizona State
before playing two games against top-ranked Arizona.
The Bruins will need to improve defensively as they face better
pitching in conference games and adjust to the lower scores.
“Defense is going to be the key for us not just against
Arizona but throughout the Pac-10,” Zaplatosch said.
“Our bats will come around. We know that if we’re
strong on defense we can hang against anybody.”