With the score tied at 0-0 in the top of the second inning, UCLA’s Megan Langenfeld stepped into the circle on Friday afternoon, prepared to face Stanford’s Melisa Koutz.
Thirty-one pitches later, it was still Koutz in the batter’s box, and Langenfeld had had enough.
The hurler let loose her 32nd pitch, and Koutz went down swinging.
The monumental strikeout was indicative of the relentless drive UCLA displayed last weekend.
The No. 2 Bruins (41-9, 16-5 Pac-10) took care of business at home over the weekend, defeating No. 12 California 2-1 on Thursday before beating No. 1 Stanford 1-0 on Friday and 8-0 on Saturday.
The nail-bitting 1-0 win on Friday over Stanford’s Missy Penna secured a ninth Pac-10 Championship for UCLA, but the team is concerned with bigger titles.
Having allowed just one run over the past three games, UCLA’s pitching staff has found its groove as the team begins its quest to win a 12th NCAA National Championship next weekend.
“A goal was to become Pac-10 champions,” assistant coach Lisa Fernandez said. “But I think everybody would be disappointed if we didn’t come out with a national championship, so we see this as a way to continue to build momentum … for the bigger picture.”
The stellar pitching performance began with a complete-game outing against Cal on Thursday by junior pitcher Langenfeld, who allowed four hits and one run in seven innings.
Friday saw more of the same from Langenfeld when she engaged in a classic pitchers’ duel with Penna.
The dramatic battle between Langenfeld and Koutz epitomized the intensity of Friday’s matchup between the nation’s two top teams.
“It was just a matter of time,” junior catcher Kaila Shull said. “(Langenfeld) and I just kept working ““ she kept putting the pitches where they needed to be and we ended up finding the right combination to sit (Koutz) down.”
UCLA’s lone run came in the fourth inning when, with Shull at second, sophomore shortstop Monica Harrison singled up the middle to drive in what turned out to be the game-winning run.
The momentum from Friday’s win carried over to Saturday’s regular-season finale. Sophomore Donna Kerr tossed a gem, slamming the door on the Cardinal with a two-hit shutout to improve to 18-6 on the season.
The Bruins’ bats came alive as well. The offense broke the game open in the fifth inning, batting around and erupting for six runs.
BRUINS SECURE HIGH NCAA SEED: Sunday night, the Bruins learned what their road to a 12th NCAA national championship will look like.
UCLA received the No. 2 overall seed and will play Long Beach State at home in the regional round this weekend. Florida received the overall No. 1 seed, and six teams from the Pac-10 earned berths.