Correction Appended
When UCLA left fielder Ashley Herrera hit a game-tying single in
the sixth inning, it appeared to be part of a late-inning
rally.
Then Arizona’s players walked off the field, as Herrera
was called out on an obscure rule after the play died, ending the
rally.
In a game full of wacky plays, the Bruins won 3-2 over
top-ranked Arizona when UCLA’s Claire Sua hit a single past
the glove of Arizona third baseman Jaclyn Cobrun to score Andrea
Duran for the game-winning hit.
It was a reversal from earlier this season, when Arizona
defeated UCLA on the last at-bat in back-to-back games.
“They know how to win, and I can honestly say that for the
first time this year,” UCLA coach Sue Enquist said.
“Everybody that’s playing this game knows how to get it
done.”
UCLA (39-9, 12-8 Pac-10) then swept Arizona State in a
doubleheader Saturday, moving the Bruins to fourth in the Pac-10
after a late-season surge.
Arizona (53-4, 17-3 Pac-10), which clinched the conference title
last weekend, started the game with a surprise in the circle.
Instead of using Player of the Year candidate Alicia Hollowell in
one of softball’s biggest rivalries, the Wildcats turned to
Leslie Wolfe.
It started a game that did not look like a classic matchup
between softball’s powerhouses, but the ending did not
disappoint, as Sua ended the game in dramatic fashion.
“I was just looking to get it through a hole,” Sua
said. “(Duran) has great speed at second and I knew if I got
it through a hole then she would score.”
Duran demonstrated her speed early on during a bizarre play.
Right fielder Lisa Dodd hit a routine grounder to third base in the
first, but it took a bad hop, hitting Cobrun in the face. Wolfe
picked up the ricochet and threw it past first base, into the
outfield.
While the Wildcats were stunned by the injury, Enquist waved
Duran in to come from second base to score. Cobrun would stay in
the game, but contributed to all three UCLA runs on unusual plays
in the field.
The Bruins pressured Wolfe all game, racking up 13 hits while
only recording 19 outs, as the Bruins’ revamped lineup
continued its hot streak.
Meanwhile, UCLA had to work out of some jams of its own,
starting when Arizona loaded the bases with no outs in the fourth
inning on a pair of walks and a single.
Keira Goerl responded like one would expect out of the reigning
College World Series MVP, striking out the next two batters on six
pitches before getting a fly ball for the third out.
But she could not dodge another jam in the sixth inning, as the
Wildcats executed the running game they are known for.
After two hits, a bunt, a questionable decision by Goerl and
some close plays on the bases, Arizona took a 2-1 lead on
Cobrun’s suicide squeeze.
But the Bruins’ bottom of the lineup ““ which had
been a weak link early in the season ““ took the momentum
right back in bottom of the sixth.
Shortstop Jodie Legaspi led off the inning with a single and was
moved to third on two outs for Herrera. She hit a slow roller down
the third base line and beat out Cobrun’s throw, tying the
game.
“As soon as I saw a dinker, I knew I could beat it
out,” Herrera said. “A hit is a hit, an RBI is an
RBI.”
Sua got her game-winning hit in the next inning as the Bruins
capped the comeback, solidifying their charge into the
postseason.
The Bruins mounted numerous rallies against the Sun Devils
(33-31, 3-17 Pac-10) on Senior Day, winning 6-0 and 10-0 in a mercy
rule game.
Arizona State hung on for a few innings in the first game until
second baseman Caitlin Benyi crushed a home run over the scoreboard
in left field. Later in the inning, Sua gave fans déjà vu
with a massive shot to the same spot, giving the Bruins a 3-0 lead
as they cruised to a win.
Things would only get better for the Bruins in the second game.
Benyi led off the game with her 20th homer of the season, top in
the Pac-10 this season, and the team took off from there.
With a 9-0 lead in the fourth inning, Enquist brought in her
bench players to pinch hit. Every healthy player got into one of
the two games on Senior Day.
The pitching was also dominant, as Goerl and Dodd each threw
four-hit shutouts.
“The postseason is all about peaking at the right moment,
and right now, we’re firing on all cylinders,” Benyi
said.
Correction: May 20, 2004, Thursday
Jaclyn Coburn’s name was misspelled. Also, a ground ball
Coburn hit in the first quarter was mischaracterized as
routine.