The last time the UCLA softball team faced the Oregon schools,
it marked one of the low points of the Bruins’ season. The
Ducks and Beavers swept UCLA during the first week of the Pac-10
season. Since then, the Bruins have been hot, cold and currently,
hot again, taking a three-game winning streak into the last week of
the regular season with home games against Oregon today (1 p.m.)
and Oregon State on Friday (3 p.m.) and Saturday (1 p.m.).
“We’re a completely different team now,” UCLA
coach Sue Enquist said. “In every facet of the game,
we’re a completely different team.” When the Bruins
were swept back in early April, they were a team that struggled to
score. But UCLA has seemed to find itself offensively, scoring 36
runs in its last six games. “So many people have been coming
through for us lately,” second baseman Caitlin Benyi said.
“It’s been a team effort.” The No. 12 Bruins
(28-15, 9-9 Pac-10) face a hot team in No. 6 Oregon State (40-11,
13-5), which is first place in the conference. “I just hope
we have the emotional discipline to continue to focus on the little
aspects of the game,” Enquist said. “Not think,
“˜We’re playing OSU.’ We can’t be that way.
We have to focus on the process.” No. 25 Oregon (32-22, 5-13)
can sweep the season series against UCLA for the first time in
history with a win today.
BRUINS ADD NEW PLAYER: Danesha Adams, a standout forward on the
UCLA women’s soccer team, has joined the softball team and
will be eligible to play today. Enquist plans to use her as the
second pinch-runner off the bench, after Alissa Eno. With the
re-entry rule in softball, pinch-runners have become an important
part of the sport, and most teams use two or three per game.
Enquist remembers at least three instances in where Eno’s
speed directly helped the Bruins get a run, and feels Adams can
contribute in a similar manner. “(Adams) will give us a lot
more speed,” Enquist said. “The way we’ve been
putting the ball in play, she will add another dimension to
us.” At the high school level, Adams holds the all-time
stolen base record in Ohio. “I’m really grateful to
have this relationship with (women’s soccer coach) Jill
Ellis,” Enquist said. Enquist and Ellis have used each
other’s players before. This past soccer season, Julie
Hoshizaki, who had just finished her senior year on the softball
team, played midfield for the Bruins. And in 2003, current UCLA
catcher Emily Zaplatosch was a backup goalie for the soccer team.
“The score is 2-1,” Enquist joked. “I still have
one more player to deposit.”
SENIOR DAY: Saturday, UCLA’s last game of the regular
season, is Senior Day at Easton Stadium. The Bruins’ only
senior is catcher Nicole Sandberg, who has spent her four years as
a Bruin mainly as a reserve. But Enquist feels she has still been
key to UCLA’s success over the years. “I’m proud
of how she’s developed, and I’m grateful she
represented UCLA softball with such dignity,” Enquist said.
“There’s no statistic that can demonstrate her
value.” Sandberg catches for both pitchers frequently in the
bullpen, and when she has been used in games, it has been mainly
for defensive purposes. “I’ve grown so much as a person
in so many ways that have nothing to do with softball,”
Sandberg said. “Coach has taught me so many life lessons like
discipline and a better attitude towards life.”
BENYI WINS AWARDS: After hitting a home run in three straight
games this past weekend, Benyi was named the USA Softball National
Player of the Week and the Pac-10 Player of the Week.
“It’s always nice to know your performance isn’t
being overlooked,” Benyi said. UCLA pitcher and first baseman
Lisa Dodd also won the Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week award.
SHORT HOPS: This week’s homestand is being played from
Thursday to Saturday instead of the usual Friday to Sunday because
this Sunday, the NCAA tournament field will be announced live on
ESPNEWS at 4:30 p.m. … UCLA remained at No. 12 in the Top 25
polls despite sweeping the Arizona schools this past weekend. …
Friday’s game starts at 3 p.m. instead of the usual 1
p.m.