Following UCLA softball’s 10-0 loss to then-No. 1 Oregon Sunday, junior outfielder Allexis Bennett was adamant about what her team needed to do to turn things around. She didn’t mince her words, though she chopped them into bits.
“Bruins gotta play our game – our game – and stick to it the whole time – all seven innings. Don’t stop. Don’t waver. Never settle. Don’t quit. No mercy,” Bennett said.
If the Bruins are eager to get back on the field and let out their frustration over the series against the Ducks, they will get their wish Wednesday, as they host a game against the Cal State Fullerton Titans (25-15, 3-3 Big West).
The Titans enter the series with the nation’s No. 83 scoring offense – a far cry from the vaunted Ducks, who rank No. 9 in that category. The distinction between the two teams becomes even greater on the pitching side, as Fullerton ranks No. 115 in ERA, compared to Oregon’s No. 32 ranking.
Considering what No. 9 UCLA (31-8, 6-3 Pac-12) had to deal with this past weekend against Oregon, playing Fullerton could seem like a cakewalk. Combine that with the Bruins’ hunger to avenge their difficult series against the Ducks, and the Titans may be in for a difficult day at Easton Stadium.
“No one likes to lose or to fall short, come up short. (The players are) certainly not happy about that,” said assistant coach Kirk Walker. “It’s about moving forward. (We’re) disappointed, but certainly not in any ways defeated.”
The Bruins may turn out to be the aggressor of the two teams on Wednesday, but the Ducks took that role in this past weekend’s series. They lost the first game 8-1 and trailed the second game all the way until the final inning. But from that point forward, Oregon played the way Bennett said she wants UCLA to play: relentlessly.
The Ducks scored five runs in the top of the seventh Saturday to take a 6-4 lead that would remain as the final score. Then, on Sunday, they kept the pressure on the Bruins, scoring 10 runs en route to attaining the series victory.
“This weekend was just a huge learning experience. Obviously (it) didn’t go the way we wanted to,” said senior pitcher Ally Carda. “(It’s) just learning from it, maybe hitting our spots better, being more mentally tough and just going after it.”
Contributing reports by Amit Nainani, Bruin Sports contributor.