Friday, 5/2/97 Jekyll and Hyde haunt offense After scoring 11
runs in first, Bruins shut out in second game
By Melissa Anderson Daily Bruin Staff There is no rest for the
weary, and right now no one knows that better than the UCLA
softball team. After an explosive three innings in which the Bruins
(39-11, 19-7 Pac-10) scored 11 times against reigning Pac-10
Pitcher of the Week Jennifer Spediacci, UCLA was literally silenced
by the University of Washington on Thursday afternoon. As a result,
the fourth-ranked Bruins split a conference double header, 11-6 and
0-1, with the No. 6 Huskies (41-11, 12-5) at Easton Stadium. "We’re
practicing tomorrow," UCLA head coach Sue Enquist said after the
game. "It’s important that they understand that days off are
rewards, or if we’re really beat up physically we take days off.
"If we fall short, we practice. We’re capable of beating Washington
11-1, not 11-6. If we don’t start playing more consistently, inning
by inning, we’re not going to be able to be there at the end. I
think that’s what this young team needs to learn." It started off
consistent enough. Pitcher B’Ann Burns allowed a run in the top of
the first, but UCLA came up big in the bottom of the inning. The
Bruins racked up five runs in their opening trip to the plate after
Spediacci made the mistake of loading the bases for junior Kim
Wuest. Wuest proceeded to launch a grand slam, the second of her
career. The home run was Wuest’s fourth of the season and the 19th
of her career, leaving her just one shy of the UCLA career record
of 20 set by Jennifer Brundage. But that wasn’t it for UCLA. With
Alleah Poulson and Stacey Nuveman leading the way, the Bruins
produced three runs in each of the next two innings. Poulson was 3
for 4 at the plate with three runs scored, while Nuveman’s 2-for-2
outing included her 16th homer of the season. In a deja vu
situation reminiscent of UCLA’s 7-6 loss in Seattle, however, the
Huskies clawed their way back into the ball game, scoring two runs
in the fifth off a long ball by designated player Eve Gaw. With the
game apparently put away in the seventh, the Huskies struck again,
this time scoring three runs off Burns. But there would be no
comeback this time, as the senior finally put the Dawgs to sleep.
The victory was Burns’ 91st, two shy of the UCLA all-time record.
"We did some great things early in the game," Enquist said. "We got
some great hitting performances, but it’s a little disappointing
that we weren’t strong all seven innings. That’s the thing I tend
to focus on, setting a standard for seven innings, and we didn’t
really do that." It was the Bruin bats that were put to sleep in
the nightcap as Gaw moved into the pitching circle. Allowing just
two hits and two walks the entire game, the Bruins could find no
answers. "Eve Gaw took us out of the game," Enquist said. "She
doesn’t have a lot of movement but she hits her spots very
effectively. I don’t think it’s one of those games where you can
look back and say, ‘I’ve got a solution for that.’ Some days the
pitcher is better than the hitter and this was one of them." UCLA’s
pitcher wasn’t so bad herself. Freshman Christa Williams struck out
nine and gave up just five hits in the losing cause.