It was another excellent weekend for UCLA softball, especially
for its stingy pitching staff. The No. 2 Bruins (7-1) swept the
22nd-ranked Fresno State Bulldogs (4-5), winning 2-0 Saturday and
1-0 in a 10-inning marathon on Sunday.
After scoring 54 runs last weekend over five games, the
Bruins’ lack of offense this weekend may seem startling to
some, but UCLA coach Sue Enquist disagrees.
“(The players) did a great job of sustaining a competitive
spirit, even without the RBIs,” she said.
Indeed, this weekend was a display of pitching and defensive
prowess. The Bruins sent their aces, junior pitcher Lisa Dodd (3-0)
and sophomore pitcher Anjelica Selden (4-1), up against Fresno
State and their quickly improving freshman pitcher Robin
Mackin (4-3).
When Dodd was on the mound Saturday, the Bruins held in check a
Fresno State lineup anchored by All-American senior shortstop
Christina Clark. Dodd struck Clark out twice and walked her once in
her masterful two-hit shutout victory.
Dodd was also responsible for the only runs scored in the game,
homering on a 2-and-1 count to drive in pinch runner Alissa Eno in
the bottom of the second. She finished the day 2-for-3, with a
single in the third inning.
“No question, that home run was big,” Enquist
said.
Selden had a similar brilliant effort Sunday, facing off again
against Mackin, whose rubber arm had held the Bruins’ offense
silent since Dodd’s second-inning homer.
Despite threats by the Bulldogs in the first and seventh inning,
Selden was excellent. She gave up three hits and walked seven,
while striking out an impressive 18 in the 10-inning affair.
“It was great to see that stamina and such intensity in
the game,” Enquist said of Selden’s 176-pitch
performance. “She was a horse out there.”
Both teams also showed occasional displays of defensive
brilliance. The Bulldogs’ junior center fielder Shannon
Garvin made two spectacular, shoestring catches.
Garvin caught a long fly ball hit by Bruins’ junior
shortstop Jodie Legaspi Saturday; Sunday, Garvin robbed Dodd of a
sure double in the eighth.
Legaspi and senior third baseman Andrea Duran also made several
impressive stops and throws.
Enquist said she was happy with the team’s wins over the
weekend, but did note some weak areas.
“It was a good win,” she said of Sunday’s
game. “We’ve got things we need to work on, like pitch
discipline.”