After three weeks, the Bruins are back home.
No. 2 UCLA softball (17-1) will conclude tournament play this weekend with the UCLA/Long Beach State Invitational, its fifth nonconference tournament of the 2019 season. The Bruins will host Robert Morris, BYU and Liberty on Friday and Saturday, before heading south to Long Beach, California, on Sunday for matchups against Boston University and Long Beach State.
Freshman catcher/first baseman Colleen Sullivan said she was looking forward to the upcoming tournament, and that UCLA will continue to use its games against programs outside of the Pac-12 to gain momentum going into conference play.
“I think this is a good opportunity for us to fine-tune some things,” Sullivan said. “The great thing about playing six games a weekend in preseason is that we get to push our mental and physical (capabilities), and when we do that, we get to see exactly what we need to work on.”
Last weekend at the Judi Garman Classic, the Bruins suffered their first loss of 2019. After only giving up one run between two games against No. 4 Florida, UCLA fell to then-unranked Michigan on Friday. The Wolverines held the Bruins to only one run for their lowest offensive output of the season. UCLA’s second-lowest run production came on Feb. 7 against UT Arlington in Hawaii, which held it to two runs in a narrow victory.
Freshman pitcher Megan Faraimo held Michigan to one hit and no walks in the game’s first five innings before the Wolverines scored three runs in the sixth inning following a fielding error.
Assistant coach Lisa Fernandez said the Bruins must take advantage of their spells away from home to continue their development into a championship-caliber team.
“We were able to test some individuals and see how they would respond, and so it was a good learning opportunity,” Fernandez said. “For us, you never fail, you’re always learning. As long as we are continuing to move in the right direction and grow, that’s what it’s all about.”
Sullivan touched further on the loss that ended UCLA’s 16-game winning streak, noting that the Bruins’ perseverance will reset their mentality going into the weekend.
“At the end of the day, we didn’t lose because of them – we lost because we beat ourselves,” Sullivan said. “No one can own the game, and exactly when you think that you’re the best, the game is going to show you that.”
Freshman utility Kelli Godin said she is looking to take advantage of the Bruins’ first home games in three weeks but that they have to stay focused on the road as well in order to stay afloat.
“Being home is great because we have our families here supporting us and all of our fans, so the energy is different here,” Godin said. “I personally really enjoy playing at home and everyone on the team does because of the atmosphere.”
Fernandez also highlighted how the games in Long Beach propose a positive challenge for the Bruins, despite the comforts of playing at Easton Stadium for the two days prior.
“Being on the road is a great experience for the girls to learn how to play in those conditions, whether it’s fans or surfaces or weather,” Fernandez said. “When it comes down to the end, we’re going to be away from home, and so we’re going to have to do some great things (away).”
UCLA will face Robert Morris on Friday at 7 p.m. to start the invitational.