Throwing one no-hitter, let alone two, is a difficult feat. But
throwing no-hitters in consecutive starts on consecutive days is
extremely rare.
And that’s exactly what UCLA pitcher Anjelica Selden did
over the weekend, throwing a no-hitter on Saturday in a 3-0 UCLA
win over St. John’s and another no-hitter on Sunday in a 7-0
win over Fresno State. Both no-hitters came during the Bulldog
Classic, in which the Bruins won five of their six games.
“I’m just focused on each batter,” Selden
said. “I just try to stay focused, poised and
confident.”
After the back-to-back no-hitter games, Selden became just one
of two players in UCLA softball history to throw a no-hitter on
consecutive days; the other was DeeDee Weiman in 1990.
Nevertheless, despite being in elite company, Selden was modest
about her weekend performance.
“I don’t really keep track of my stats,” she
said. “I just want us to win. It’s nice to have the
no-hitter, but I don’t think about that until after the
game.”
Even more unusual was that both of Selden’s no-hitters
were near-perfect games. On Saturday, the only baserunner to reach
base was on a third-strike wild pitch. On Sunday, the only
baserunner reached first on an error. Selden didn’t allow a
walk in either game.
“For someone who throws so hard not to walk anyone is
impressive,” UCLA coach Sue Enquist said. “(Selden) was
a heartbeat away from a perfect game.”
Selden did more than pitch two no-hitters over the weekend. On
Friday, she set a Pac-10 record for strikeouts in a game with 23 in
a 14-inning, 3-2 loss to Mississippi. All three runs were given up
in extra innings with the tournament tiebreaker rule of starting
the inning with a runner on second base.
“It’s unfortunate we couldn’t pull her up with
a 14-inning game like that,” Enquist said.
Selden also earned a save in the Bruins’ first game on
Sunday, a 6-5 win over Santa Clara. UCLA’s Emily Zaplatosch
hit a two-run double in the top of the seventh to give the Bruins
the lead, and Selden pitched the bottom of the seventh to get the
save.
For the weekend, Selden pitched 36 innings, striking out 71
hitters.
No. 4 UCLA (16-5) won its other two games at the Bulldog Classic
in Fresno, a 9-0, 5-inning win over Iowa State on Friday and a 4-1
win over Kent State on Thursday.