It was a 9-2 game in the fifth and the Bruins could have ended the game easily.
Having already scored four runs in the inning and with the game-ending runner standing on second base, sophomore outfielder Andrea Harrison stepped to the plate.
Harrison already had a pair of two-run home runs earlier in the game and posed a threat to do so again ““ but all she needed was a base hit.
After a brief Oregon meeting at the mound, the first pitch promptly hit Harrison in the back. The message was sent, and all the Bruins had to do was react.
The team did react, though not in the most conventional fashion. Megan Langenfeld took all but eight pitches to strike out the final two Oregon batters the next inning, then Kaila Shull ended the game with a home run to the deepest part of the park.
“We answer back on the field and that is UCLA softball,” coach Kelly Inouye-Perez said. “We have each others’ backs, but we are trying to win a ball game and the best way to win a ball game is to beat them on the field.”
This indeed is a focused ball-club.
“Our game plan is to get a run every single inning, to constantly put pressure on the other team,” Harrison said. “It’s what we call “˜Bruin Magic,’ and it’s a good time for us to heat up right now.”
Harrison would be a little sore, but it was a very minor setback considering she would drive in as many runs over the weekend as the Ducks would score in the three-game set. For her effort, Harrison was the second consecutive Bruin to take the Pac-10 Conference Player of the Week Award.
Today, the No. 5 Bruins (36-9, 10-5) will host the No. 13 California Golden Bears (36-15, 6-9) and will look to continue their current nine-game winning streak into this critical season series, with a showdown against the Arizona Wildcats looming.
Last weekend, the Golden Bears avoided a three-game sweep after mercy-ruling the Wildcats 8-0. Backed by former first-team All-Pac-10 standout Valerie Arioto, the Bears were able to capitalize on five Wildcat errors, while Arioto struck out nine and limited Arizona to just three hits in a six inning victory.
The Cal pitching staff again seeks to play a major factor into this weekend’s series.
“We just need to stay consistent,” junior second baseman GiOnna DiSalvatore said. “Obviously we are going to have off days; we are not perfect. The fact that we have each others’ backs, we know that the person behind us will get it done. If we can stay consistently offensively and defensively, we are good to go.”
Theirs is a focus that should allow the Bruins to be unfazed at any opponent, or pitch, thrown their way.