The UCLA softball team opened its Pac-10 season over the weekend
with three losses to the Oregon schools, marking the second year in
a row the Bruins have started 0-3 in conference.
After losing 3-1 and 2-1 on Saturday at unranked Oregon and 2-1
at No. 16 Oregon State on Friday in eight innings, the No. 7 Bruins
fell to 19-9 overall, already equaling their loss total from a year
ago, when they went 47-9 en route to winning their second straight
NCAA Championship.
“You have to ask yourself, “˜Did you get beat or did
you beat yourself?'” UCLA coach Sue Enquist said.
“We beat ourselves in all three games.”
Even though last year’s squad bounced back from a rough
start in the conference schedule to win the national title, Enquist
isn’t pointing to last year as a model for success.
“I don’t want them to think about that,” she
said. “I don’t want them to get into a comfort
zone.”
And while Enquist believes in her team’s ability, she has
every reason not to want to look back on last year ““ the two
teams were very different.
In 2004, the Bruins started off 27-1 before its conference
season, dominating most of its opponents.
This year, despite going 19-6, the Bruins struggled at times
during their non-conference schedule, with most of their struggles
coming at the plate.
These struggles returned over the weekend, especially with
runners on base.
UCLA mustered only three runs over the weekend, two of them on
solo home runs. The Bruins as a team hit 2-for-27 with runners on
base and only successfully moved a runner over while making an out
once.
“We seem to find new ways to beat ourselves,”
Enquist said. “We’re not able to hit the ball with
runners on base, bunt, execute throws to right base, or make
adjustments.”
Still, the team isn’t overly concerned about the three
losses.
“It’s obviously different than what we’re used
to, but we’ll find a way to turn things around,” junior
third baseman Andrea Duran said. “We’ll dig out of
this.”
Duran was one of the few bright spots for UCLA over the weekend,
hitting 4-for-8 with a home run.
“I was seeing the ball really well, and I was
relaxed,” Duran said. “I just felt good.”
The other Bruin home run came from Kristen Dedmon.
In the circle, freshman Anjelica Selden, who has overwhelmed
opponents all season long, showed her human side, allowing four
runs in 17 and two-thirds innings.
“I don’t think I’m ever happy after I
pitch,” Selden said. “But I wasn’t at the top of
my game.”
The team admits it has plenty to work on but is still confident
it will prevail.
“I believe in this team,” Enquist said. “This
team is talented; it has a sense of resiliency, and I admire its
ability to stay focused.”