UCLA’s red-hot offense suddenly went cold against Southern Utah on Tuesday.
Whitney Baker made sure it didn’t matter.
Baker, a freshman pitcher, threw a masterful two-hit shutout and senior catcher Jaisa Creps singled in UCLA’s only run in the bottom of the sixth inning as the No. 12 Bruins (22-6) went on to defeat the Thunderbirds (10-15) 1-0.
Baker was perfect through her first four innings of work and finished the game with 11 strikeouts and no walks.
It was the second consecutive start for Baker in which she tossed a complete game shutout in a 1-0 UCLA victory. The Bruins defeated Canisius on Saturday behind Baker’s two-hit, one-walk, nine-strikeout effort.
“Just being able to throw to batters in games with umpires has been a big thing for me,” Baker said. “I haven’t gotten that before now.”
Baker, a highly-touted recruit out of Skyview High School in Battle Ground, Wash., did not see very much action early in the season and struggled when she did get on the mound.
Baker suffered a collapsed lung in the fall, which kept her out for an extended period of time and forced her to start over once she did get back on the mound. Only now is her true potential beginning to show.
“If you don’t throw for three weeks and you start pitching, you feel like you’re starting over mechanically, and I went two months,” Baker said. “It’s definitely been a challenge with my body up until now, but right now, I can feel myself getting stronger. It’s getting better each weekend.”
With the win, UCLA has now won 10 straight games and 14 out of its last 15 contests.
“Our offense is doing great things and our defense is getting more consistent,” coach Kelly Inouye-Perez said. “Our record shows that.”
CREPS COMES THROUGH: Jaisa Creps has patiently waited her turn to get a chance to be UCLA’s starting catcher. Now, after three years of backup duties, Creps is making the most of her newfound opportunity.
Creps’ game-winning single on Tuesday was a highlight in what has been a solid all-around season for her. In 21 starts, she is hitting .317 with four home runs and 20 RBIs and the pitchers continue to get more and more comfortable working with her behind the plate.
“Everything about Jaisa Creps ““ she is the epitome of a Bruin,” Inouye-Perez said. “It’s exciting to see that in her senior year she’s played some of the best ball she’s played in a long time.”
In addition to being used in a backup role, Creps has dealt with nagging injuries in each of her first three seasons, but is glad to be healthy in the season where her team needs her the most.
“I’ve had a tough three years because I’ve been hurt,” Creps said. “This has been my first year that I’ve been healthy, and it’s just been awesome just to be able to go out and help my team and feel like I’m actually there physically for them, not just mentally.”
TIME OFF: After playing 28 games in just over a month, UCLA will finally have an extended period of time off. The Bruins will have 12 days off to focus on final exams before heading to Cal Poly for a double-header on March 25. UCLA will host UCSB two days later before opening the Pac-10 slate against Arizona State and Arizona at home from March 30-April 1.
“We’ll shut down, heal, take care of school, rebuild back our momentum, and not miss a beat as we get ready for Pac-10,” Inouye-Perez said.