The UCLA softball team found out what it is like to be in someone else’s dream Wednesday. The Bruins fell to the Matadors of Cal State Northridge by a score of 3-2 in dramatic walk-off fashion, following a one-out, two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh by Matadors junior left fielder Tanna Bindi.
UCLA headed into the final frame with a precarious 2-1 lead. Sophomore pitcher Ally Carda was able to retire the leadoff hitter before hitting the next, putting the tying run on. Then Bindi stepped to the plate. On a 3-2 count the junior sent the ball sailing over the right field wall for the game-winning home run in the low-scoring affair.
Runs were hard to come by throughout the game as the Bruins, despite outhitting the Matadors nine to four, regularly failed to drive in runs, save for senior outfielder B.B. Bates’ two-run homer in the top of the first inning, leaving eight runners on base throughout the contest.
“We outhit them by a lot,” said sophomore shortstop Stephany LaRosa. “But it’s just that timely hitting, when we get those runners in scoring position … we have to take advantage of that.”
While she credited Cal State Northridge’s defense and own timely hitting, coach Kelly Inouye-Perez echoed LaRosa’s sentiments, acknowledging that it was her team’s failure to deliver in opportune moments that brought about the defeat.
“It comes down to execution. We didn’t stack it with execution today – that’s the bottom line,” Inouye-Perez said. “We left a lot of (runners on base), and that’s the name of the game. If you’re not able to push runs across, then you put yourself in position to have a dramatic ending for the home team and that’s what we created today.”
Inouye-Perez’s ball club is now tasked with having to get over the toughest of losses in a short amount of time, as they will begin a five-game series in Lakewood, Calif., starting Friday versus Virginia Tech. For Bates and the rest of the Bruins there is no time to sulk or ponder the loss. Instead, the Bruins are emphasizing the need to focus on trying to correct the things that went wrong Wednesday.
“Right now it’s as old as dirt, we have to let it go and move forward and start planning for tomorrow. Come in strong and work on what we need to work on and have a positive mindset for this weekend,” Bates said.
The Bruins are determined not to get too down about the loss, stressing the need to approach this weekend’s games with a clear mind and renewed focus in the hope that they will avoid the errors that plagued them throughout Wednesday’s game.
“When we hit the weekend, regardless if we win or not, we start fresh on the weekend,” LaRosa said, “So coming out on Friday when we do have our 4:30 game, we’re not going to let anything, especially this game, affect us.”