Even though it seemed the Bruins used up all of their hits on
Friday, they still managed to win all three weekend games, the
latter two with late-inning heroics.
Friday, the No. 2 UCLA softball team (39-5, 11-3 Pac-10) crushed
No. 7 Cal (39-13, 8-6) 10-0 (run-rule, five innings).
Saturday, they were outhit by No. 13 Stanford (35-20, 5-10) 6-2
but still won the game 1-0.
And Sunday, they were outhit by Stanford again, this time 6-3.
But they still won the game 3-2 in eight innings on a walk-off
homer by Natasha Watley, one of two her home runs for her on the
day.
“I guess I was in the zone,” Watley said. “You
know you’re in the zone when you just react and you’re
not thinking at the plate. You just react.”
Sunday’s game was scoreless until the top of the third.
The Cardinal had runners on first and second with no outs, and the
Cardinal’s Jessica Allister laid down a bunt.
Pitcher Keira Goerl fielded it, but instead of making the easy,
safe play at first base, she threw the ball to third base, where
the runner was safe.
The run ended up scoring on a sacrifice fly by Catalina
Morris.
The Bruins would respond when they loaded the bases in the third
with no outs. Caitlin Benyi drew an RBI walk. With the game now
tied at 1, the Bruins had a chance to break the game open. But
Tairia Mims lined out to second baseman Kira Ching, who threw to
second to double off Watley.
Sua would follow with a pop fly to the catcher.
After a scoreless fourth inning, Allister hit a home run to lead
off the fifth, giving Stanford a 2-1 lead.
But the Bruins would respond again in the bottom of the inning,
with a Watley solo home run to tie the game 2-2.
Stanford threatened again in the sixth, forcing UCLA to make the
play of the game.
With the Cardinal’s Leah Nelson on first, Ching doubled
into the right-center field gap. Stephanie Ramos, the center
fielder, picked up the ball at the wall and fired it to second
baseman Monique Mejia, who flung it home. The throw was a little
high, and Emily Zaplatosch, the catcher, tagged Nelson in the head
right before she slid into home.
“So many things had to happen perfectly on that
play,” UCLA coach Sue Enquist said. “Ramos had to pick
it up cleanly and throw a strike. Monique had to field it cleanly,
and throw a strike to Zap. And Zap had to catch the ball and apply
the tag. That’s six things that had to happen, and people
don’t fully appreciate the relay throw.”
No one scored in the sixth or the seventh, and the game went to
extra innings.
Stanford rallied in the top of the eighth when they put runners
on second and third with one out. Maureen LeCocq hit a weak pop fly
in front of the pitcher’s mound. Mims dove and caught it
running from third base, colliding with first baseman Claire Sua,
and potentially saving a run.
“Defense is what’s going to keep us in the ball
game,” Watley said. “That’s what we’ve been
doing ““ making plays.”
The bottom of the eighth didn’t last long. Watley hit the
second pitch she saw over the center field fence for a walk-off
home run, her second of the game and eighth of the season.
Saturday was also an offensive struggle between UCLA and No. 15
Stanford.
Both teams had several chances to score, but neither could cash
them in.
The Cardinal’s best chance came in the top of the fifth.
LeCocq led off the inning with a double down the left field line.
Allister, the next hitter, couldn’t put the bunt down, and
ended up flying out to center field. Catalina Morris then grounded
out, and Meghan Sickler flew out to end the inning.
The best chance for the Bruins had come in the fourth, when
Benyi and Mims were both walked to lead off the inning. Sua
grounded out but advanced the lead runner to put Benyi on third
with one out. But Ramos and Zaplatosch followed with groundouts,
stranding runners on second and third.
Going into the bottom of the sixth, the game was still
scoreless. Sua and Ramos led the inning off with outs. Zaplatosch
then drew a walk; it appeared that Stanford was pitching around her
with Auelua, a much weaker hitter on deck. But Auelua came through
in the clutch, hitting a double to the left-center wall, scoring
Zaplatosch for the only run of the game.
“I went into the at bat with confidence,” Auelua
said. “I haven’t hit as well as I’ve wanted to
(this year), but I still had confidence.”
Despite being out-hit 6-2, the Bruins recorded their first 1-0
victory of the season. Goerl threw another shutout.
Friday, the No. 2 Bruins faced No. 7 Cal, the defending
Women’s College World Series champions.
The first two and a half innings seemed innocent enough. Neither
team had a serious rally, and the game was scoreless.
But then, the Bruin bats exploded. Toria Auelua started the
inning off with a leadoff walk. After a fielder’s choice
groundout by Monique Mejia, Andrea Duran executed a perfect
hit-and-run play. With Mejia running, Duran hit the ball where the
second baseman was playing before she went to cover second, and
Mejia went to third.
“Don’t overlook that Andrea Duran had a pivotal
offensive hit and run play,” UCLA coach Sue Enquist said.
“That’s where the wheels started to come
off.”
Watley then hit a groundball to the shortstop, enough to score
the run from third. Duran moved to second.
Benyi, the next batter, was hit by a pitch from Cal’s
Kelly Anderson. Then, in a surprise move by Cal, Coach Diane
Ninemire pulled Anderson. It was only the third inning, and
Anderson had allowed just one run.
Cassie Bobrow was her replacement, and on her first pitch, Mims
blasted a three-run homer over the second fence beyond right field.
The ball was still rising when it hit some trees beyond the outer
fence.
Claire Sua then followed with a double to the left-center field
gap, and Stephanie Ramos hit a triple to right-center, scoring
Sua.
Bobrow was then taken out of the game and replaced by Jen
Deering. Emily Zaplatosch ended the inning with a deep fly ball out
to left.
The Bruins would again score five runs in the fourth inning,
highlighted by a Duran two-run homer and a Sua three-run homer.
“I’m being more relaxed,” Sua said.
“I’m not trying so hard, I’m going up there nice
and loose and swigning the stick when I need to.”
Keira Goerl shut the Bears out in the fifth, ending the game
early via run-rule, 10-0. Goerl allowed only two hits.
“We made excellent decisions at the plate. That happens
when you’re relaxed and confident.” Enquist said.
“It’s been a while since we had a team that feeds
off of each other like this. They have a pattern of doing that. It
usually happened after Natasha got on. Now, it can be
anyone.”