Despite playing three ranked opponents, the UCLA softball team
won all five games in the UNLV Desert Classic, outscoring its
opponents 37-3.
“We expect ourselves to win, but you can’t go in
thinking you’re going to dominate,” senior catcher and
first baseman Tairia Mims said. “There wasn’t as much
pressure on us. Everyone did well, relaxed and had fun.”
On Friday, the No. 1 Bruins beat No. 20 South Carolina 12-0 (5
inn.) and No. 7 LSU 2-0. Saturday, UCLA beat Hawaii 10-2 (6 inn.)
and No. 4 Nebraska 5-1. And on Sunday, the Bruins beat Utah
7-1.
UCLA’s (10-1) biggest win may have been against the
Nebraska Cornhuskers, the highest-ranked opponent they have faced
all season. The score was 1-0 going into the sixth inning; a home
run by Mims had accounted for the only run of the game.
Then came four runs on six Bruin hits in the top of the inning,
including doubles by Mims and senior Toria Auelua.
Nebraska’s pitcher, Peaches James, came into the game with
a perfect 6-0 record and had only allowed three runs in 33 innings.
In six innings, the Bruins tagged her for nine hits and five
runs.
“Nebraska’s a legitimate team, they have an
excellent pitcher, and we adjusted to her right off the bat,”
UCLA head coach Sue Enquist said.
“She stopped throwing her tendencies, and she didn’t
know what to do. I love that.”
Against LSU, the Bruins only managed to score two runs, off an
RBI single by junior center fielder Stephanie Ramos and a solo home
run by freshman catcher/first baseman Emily Zaplatosch.
Those two runs proved to be plenty for junior pitcher Keira
Goerl as she pitched a two-hitter, one of two complete game
shutouts she had over the weekend.
To make her performance against the Tigers even more impressive,
that was her second start of the day. She started and pitched three
scoreless innings against South Carolina, getting the win. Goerl
was taken out before the fourth inning when the Bruins had a 9-0
lead.
“I didn’t expect to start both games, but you have
to be ready for anything,” Goerl said. “In the fall, I
worked on getting my body to work extended amounts of time, and
still come out and pitch the next day. I’ve been preparing
myself for this.”
Freshman Michelle Turner came into the game and pitched two
scoreless innings in relief before the game ended via the mercy
rule.
Turner got the start in the game against Hawaii, pitching six
innings and allowing two runs. She allowed back-to-back home runs
in the third inning, but settled down and didn’t allow a hit
the rest of the game.
“Turner once again made some great strides,” Enquist
said. “A couple of players hit her pretty hard, but she went
right back at them and got them out. She didn’t fool around
with them.”
In its last game of the weekend, UCLA exploded for six runs in
the third inning against Utah. Mims, junior designated player
Claire Sua and senior short stop Natasha Watley hit RBI doubles in
the inning.
“I don’t consider myself to be a home run hitter,
but I do have power,” said Mims, who finished the weekend
11-for-17 with three home runs and eight RBIs.