For the No. 4 ranked UCLA softball consistency is the key to success.
The Bruins proved this mentality after going undefeated in this weekend’s San Diego Classic and improving to a 19-2 record by winning four landslide games and taking one in extra innings.
“They are taking the game one pitch at time,” Coach Kelly Inouye-Perez said. “There has been a lot of who are you playing what is your plan against them, but it is really taking it one pitch at a time and trying to play consistent softball and that is what they continue to do.”
The Bruins opened this weekend against James Madison University on Friday afternoon. Pitcher Angelica Seldon took control in the circle by striking out 14 allowing only one hit, and no runs. Offensively, the UCLA bats were strong against the Dukes, taking an early 8-0 win in the fifth inning due to the mercy rule.
Later that day, the University of San Diego Torreros faced a similar fate at the hands of freshman pitcher Donna Kerr and another strong Bruin offensive performance. Kerr only allowed one hit in the entire game, and struck out 11. Senior Krista Colburn, sophomore Kaila Shull and freshmen Samantha Camuso, GiOnna DiSalvatorre, and Katie Schroeder each had at least two hits in the game to lead the team to a 10-0 victory.
“I think that their mentality in every game, no matter who were playing, and no matter what the inning is just trying to continue to do the same thing,” coach Inouye-Perez said. “I give them a lot of credit in their consistency and being able to have that mindset of how they approach every ball game.”
Saturday morning, the Bruins picked up their game where they left it the day before beating Eastern Michigan 8-0, again invoking the mercy-rule. Sophomore Megan Langenfeld lit up the ball on both sides of plate, going 3-3 with 3 RBI at the plate and throwing 6 strikeouts with only one hit in the circle.
No. 4 UCLA faced its biggest challenge of the tournament against No. 20 San Diego State later that afternoon battling through two extra-innings to pull out with a 2-1 win. Seldon passed the 1,200 strikeout mark and stayed composed even after making an error that led to the Aztecs single run of the game. In the top of the ninth, Colburn lined a double and Camuso sacrificied her in to take the final lead.
“We had an offensive plan against Christina Ross, their pitcher, and I think we stuck to it and kept fighting through even though we weren’t always getting the outcomes we wanted necessarily. We just kept battling,” Colburn said.
Kerr finished her weekend at home Sunday morning hurling a perfect game against Saint Peter’s College, striking out seven in five innings and improving her record to 8-1 for the season. The Bruin’s offensive game was spread strong across four outstanding performances by Coulbourn (2-3), junior Amanda Kamekona (2-2), Camuso (2-2) and Katie Schroeder (2-2.) The game was the third of the weekend to follow the mercy rule as the Bruins took a 10-0 win.
“The way that they’re playing is contagious,” Coach Inouye-Perez said. “It is very confident softball and they look forward to someone who can challenge them. We’re going to continue to keep practicing to keep getting better and better to play championship softball.”