After beginning conference play with two horrible weeks on the
road, the Bruins have turned things around. But this week they are
venturing away from Westwood as they look to climb out of their
early-season hole.
The No. 4 Bruins (31-7, 4-6 Pac-10) will face two tough teams
this weekend, Oregon and Oregon State, when they travel to the
Pacific Northwest.
But although this may be their easiest road trip of the season,
this is the Pac-10, where easy is only relative.
The Bruins will face the No. 11 Ducks (34-12, 8-4) Friday and
the No. 16 Beavers (39-18, 3-9) Saturday and Sunday. Both teams
have already beaten UCLA.
“The kids have some challenges before them, knowing that
we just haven’t played our best softball consistently against
both of those clubs,” coach Sue Enquist said.
This is the only conference road trip where the Bruins will not
face a top 10 opponent, and it will give the team a chance to
improve on its 0-4 conference road record.
Catcher Emily Zaplatosch said that, while it feels different to
play on the road, it should not affect how the team plays. What is
more important is how the team is playing now.
“We’ve improved since then, that’s for
sure,” Zaplatosch said. “We’re headed down a good
road the way we turned the corner this weekend and even the weekend
before.”
Friday’s game will be the rubber match for UCLA and
Oregon, after they split a pair of tense games at Easton Stadium
two weeks ago. Thus far, the Ducks have been the surprise team in
the conference, tied for second place.
The Bruins will then play a pair of games against Oregon State.
While the Beavers are in seventh place in conference play, they
were the first to defeat UCLA this season.
The Bruins will likely use their new lineup this weekend, which
was first showcased Saturday against California. Enquist has not
finalized the lineup, but said she will keep senior Stephanie Ramos
at leadoff and sophomore Caitlin Benyi as the third hitter.
The same story goes for pitching. Enquist has not made a final
decision, but said she will probably do the same thing as last
weekend. In that case, expect to see more of senior Keira Goerl,
the Bruins’ top pitcher.