Wednesday, February 12, 1997
SOFTBALL:
Bruins still ranked second despite loss to Long Beach State, the
first shutout of seasonBy Sam Toussi
Daily Bruin Contributor
Disappointing, to say the least.
Coming off two losses to No. 2 Fresno State, the young Bruins
(5-3) were hoping to rebound with a couple of wins against the No.
14 Long Beach State 49ers.
Things were going great for a while.
In the first game,the Bruins got off to a quick start, scoring
two runs in the first. Laurie Fritz singled and later scored on a
throwing error. Julie Adams was hit by a pitch and later scored on
Stacey Nuveman’s sacrifice fly.
B’Ann Burns pitched a decent game, giving up two runs and
scattering 10 hits in seven innings, including six strikeouts and
only one walk.
Long Beach State tied the game in the fifth, but the Bruins
scored a run in the sixth to win the game, 3-2.
The win was blemished by the fact that two of the Bruins’ three
runs were unearned.
In the second game, though, the wheels came off as the Bruins
were shut out for the first time this season.
UCLA showed its youth, giving up two runs in the top of the last
inning. Freshman pitcher Christa Williams got off to a rocky start
but settled down, retiring 14 batters in a row. She finished the
game with four strikeouts and two walks, showing not only what good
pitching is to come over the season but also over the next four
years.
But in the last inning of a tight pitcher’s duel, Long Beach
State’s Tiffiany Blood led off with a home run. Williams seemed to
lose her composure, committing a key throwing error and yielding an
insurance run to the 49ers.
"We’re just not as good as I thought," Coach Sue Enquist said
after the game. "But I believe we will be very soon."
The Bruins will have to forget about the three tough losses and
try to redeem themselves when the go up the coast to face
conference foes California and Stanford.
"We have to be mature and look ahead and concentrate on what’s
important and that’s conference games," Enquist said.
For now, the Bruins are still the No. 2 team in the nation. They
will continue to improve over the season as they gain more
experience.
As second baseman Fritz said, "We’re not there yet. It’s only a
matter of time."
WYNN RUJIRAVIRIYAPINYO
Julie Adams scored a run and had one RBI.