No. 2 softball squares off against No. 1 ‘Cats
Harding adds depth to UCLA roster in
last regular-season meeting with ‘Zona
By Melissa Anderson
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
According to the UCLA coaching staff, a meeting with Arizona is
just another game.
In actuality, tomorrow’s 1 p.m. double-header matchup between
the top-ranked Wildcats and No. 2 UCLA will showcase the best of
the best in collegiate softball. Simply put, it is the one of the
biggest games of the year for the Bruins.
"These games are just as important as an Oregon State game
because they’re conference," UCLA co-head coach Sue Enquist said.
"That’s the intellectual side. The emotional side is that it’s a
gut-check for our team to see where we are, and that’s
exciting."
After handing Arizona its first loss of the season last month in
Tucson, 2-0 in the second game of a double-header, the Bruins (24-2
overall, 9-1 Pac-10) are in strong contention for the Pac-10 title
if they could at least split their final regular season meeting
with UA at Easton Stadium.
"To win in their stadium is really enjoyable because they have
that 11th-man factor because of their fan support," Enquist said.
"It was just nice to see (UCLA) one, win, two, shut them out, and
three, to come back after being shelled in the first game,
11-4."
Statistically, the two teams seem to balance each other out.
While the Bruins lead the conference in pitching with a 1.25 team
ERA, the ‘Cats (38-1, 5-1) are first in team batting average,
hitting .381. Arizona is second in pitching (1.42 ERA) and UCLA is
second in team batting (.357).
Arizona is led offensively by senior shortstop Laura Espinoza,
who is hitting .463 in 39 games with 56 hits, 24 of them home runs.
The loss of last years’ Player of the Year Susie Parra from the
pitching staff left the ‘Cats without a dominant player on the
mound, but sophomore pitcher Carrie Dolan has come on strong this
season, boasting a Pac-10 leading 20-0 record with a 0.98 ERA.
Sophomore Nancy Evans has also been key to the Wildcats success,
posting a 17-1 record in 106 innings pitched.
The addition of junior-transfer Tanya Harding to the UCLA roster
has given the Bruins another strong weapon both offensively and on
the pitching mound. Named this week’s Pac-10 Player of the Week,
the former Australian National Team member batted eight for 13 with
a double, triple and two home runs. Harding also pitched a perfect
game against Oregon State and currently has a 1.05 ERA and is 3-0
in three pitching appearances.
"With the addition of Tanya we now are a solid opponent for
Arizona because I think it is an incredible amount of pressure for
B’Ann (Burns) and Kaci (Clark) to go into a double-header against
Arizona," Enquist said. "Now , with B’Ann and Tanya, those are
great defensive tools. Everybody benefits here at UCLA because of
her addition, not to mention her hitting ability."
* * *
Former Bruin pitcher Debbie Doom will be honored between games
Saturday for her induction into the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame.
Doom, a current U.S. National Team member, was the 1985 Honda
National Player of the Year and helped lead the Bruins to three
NCAA titles.
* * *
UCLA will face off with No. 7 Sacramento State Sunday afternoon
at Easton Stadium at 1 p.m. Sac State (25-3) is led by Jill Haas
and first baseman Janelle Ito. Pitcher Susie Bugliarello leads the
pitching squad with a 0.37 ERA and a 13-1 record in 15
appearances.