Expectations come with wearing a UCLA softball uniform. The expectation to win, to dominate.
Two weeks ago things were just how they were supposed to be ““ smooth sailing, complete with an 11-game win streak and a string of five consecutive mercy-rule wins to boot.
But if the 7-0 blowout loss to Ohio State last Sunday put things into perspective, a stunning 3-2 loss to an unranked UC Riverside team sent the No. 5 Bruins into a state of desperation. It did not help that three key players were held out of the lineup due to injuries.
The Bruins needed something to stop the bleeding on and off the field Friday against No. 21 Fresno State at the San Diego Classic.
After surrendering a 2-0 lead in the fourth, UCLA was staring at a 3-2 deficit going into the fifth, and it seemed like a third straight heartbreak was imminent against the Bulldogs.
But then junior Monica Harrison led off the fifth inning with a single up the middle and eventually scored on another single up the gap by sophomore left-fielder Andrea Harrison.
Sophomore Samantha Camuso then tripled Harrison in to make it 4-3 and two batters later, sophomore Dani Yudin singled Camuso in to give the Bruins a 5-3 lead that they would manage to hold on to, eventually beating Fresno State 5-4.
“Our big strength of this team is our depth,” Camuso said. “We can have anyone on our team step up ““ we are 20 strong. Dani Yudin stepped up this weekend. Kaila Shull had clutch hits. With our team, anyone can step up at any given moment.”
Camuso went 4-5 with three RBI over the weekend, while Yudin was 3-5 with three RBI.
Against University of Texas El Paso Saturday, the Bruins patiently tacked on runs en route to a 6-0 victory. Sophomore Aleah Macon tossed a complete game, scattering five hits while striking out five.
“The game presents a lot of opportunities for us to get challenged and we want to be confident to come from behind or jump on the lead and we had some impressive two-out rallies,” coach Kelly Inouye-Perez said. “Aleah really battled and the defense played well behind her, all of those are signs that we can build upon for the rest of the season.”
But what was really the signature moment in the victory was Harrison’s home run-saving grab.
It saved a couple of runs, but Harrison’s hard collision with the left field fence was not something the coaching staff was about to cheer for, especially with UCLA missing the services of All-American Katie Schroeder, Megan Langenfeld and Charlotte Dolan.
“It is a unique fence, and she scared us for a while because we could all hear (the collision),” Inouye-Perez said. “Once again, it was still a great sign of good solid defense.”
After games against Long Beach State, San Diego State and Buffalo were postponed due to rain, the team really has the opportunity to nurse its injuries and prepare for a showdown on Wednesday against a surging North Carolina team.
The bleeding on the field has stopped ““ at least for now.