The UCLA softball team has gotten off to a great start, but if
it wants to be successful this weekend, it has to play better than
it has been playing lately.
The No. 3 Bruins (8-1) are headed to the Palm Springs Classic,
where they will play five games ““ three of which are against
top-20 teams ““ from today until Sunday.
“I think the biggest challenge is going to be our high
level of play, consistently knowing we have so many challenging
games in front of us,” coach Sue Enquist said.
“It’s not a situation where we can literally yawn
through a game.
“We have the talent, we have the mental psyche going
right, but can we sustain it consistently over three days? That
will be the challenge.”
Following Wednesday’s 2-0 win against UC Riverside, a game
in which the Bruins were outhit 7-3, Enquist had a long talk with
the team. The coach was unhappy with the team’s performance
against what is historically a much weaker Highlander team.
“All I wanted to do was articulate to them that I was
disappointed in our level of approach at the plate and our
defensive execution,” Enquist said.
“Overall, (Enquist) and the team were just disappointed
with our performance offensively,” said senior catcher Emily
Zaplatosch, who saw her eight-game hit streak come to an end
against the Highlanders. “With our potential, we should be
able to post more than two runs in a game like
(Wednesday’s).”
One consistent bright spot for the Bruins in their first nine
games has been their stellar pitching. Behind the arms of sophomore
Anjelica Selden and junior Lisa Dodd, the Bruins have a 0.58 team
ERA and have not allowed more than three runs in a game yet this
season.
Selden has an almost incomprehensible statline to begin the
season, allowing no earned runs, seven hits and nine walks, while
striking out 65 in her 31 innings pitched.
Dodd has had a great start as well, going 4-0 with a 1.21 ERA
and 28 strikeouts in 29 innings.
On Wednesday, Dodd pitched her way out of a bases-loaded jam
with nobody out in the bottom of the seventh inning, getting two
groundouts and a strikeout to seal the win for UCLA in clutch
fashion.
“She just hit her spots,” Enquist said. “She
kept the ball down, and when she does that, she’s most
effective.”
Despite the fact that the Bruins have not scored more than two
runs in a game in their last five games, they have lost just once.
That, combined with the offensive success the Bruins have already
had at the very beginning of the season, has the players feeling
happy about where they stand and confident about this weekend.
“We don’t really worry about who we play,”
sophomore outfielder Krista Colburn said. “If we play our
game, we’ll be fine no matter who we face.”
UCLA starts off the Palm Springs Classic today against Ohio
State (5-4) at 10:30 a.m. and No. 19 Louisiana State University at
3:30 p.m. The Bruins play two more games on Saturday, facing Kansas
(4-5) at 12:30 p.m. and No. 8 Texas A&M at 8 p.m. UCLA wraps up
the competition with a game against No. 10 Oklahoma on Sunday,
which will be televised on ESPNU at 11 a.m.