Wednesday, April 15, 1998
Faltering Bruins stumble toward fate against surefooted
Matadors
SOFTBALL: Powerful hits, standout pitching bodes badly for
struggling team
By Rocky Salmon
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
April showers have bogged down the UCLA softball team.
Entering April on a two-game losing streak, UCLA continued their
downslide by losing five of its last six, with the only win coming
against No. 7 Arizona State.
Today, however, a break in the rain should give the Bruins a
chance to put things back together. After playing eight consecutive
games against ranked teams, UCLA gets to play Cal-State Northridge
in a non-conference match.
UCLA owns a 22-7 all-time record against the Matadors, and the
game appears to be an easy win for the struggling Bruins.
But it won’t be.
Although the Matadors are from the Big West, they have amassed a
26-15 record, including surprising wins over ASU, Indiana,
Washington, Florida and two wins over No. 14 Long Beach State.
Led by offensive spark plug Elizabeth Sanchez, who is batting
.370 with 17 RBI, and Ashie Hayas, who has crossed the plate 30
times this year, the Matadors have been bullish on offense.
The Matadors, in total, have scored 190 runs this year, while
the Bruins have only notched 85. This is where UCLA will have its
problems.
Anchored by a young but strong pitching rotation, the Bruins
have a team ERA of 2.35. The squad is led by Stephanie Swenson who,
due to illness, will give way to Erin Weiler today. Weiler has
pitched strong games, giving her a 6-6 record but at times has been
prone to allowing the opponents offensive explosions.
What remains key in the game tomorrow will be the Bruin offense,
which has struggled scoring runs. Kim Wuest leads the way with a
.444 batting average, nine home runs and a .903 slugging
percentage. Laurie Fritz is the only other starter on the roster
who is batting over .300, and this has led to a low run total.
Since the offense does not muster up a lot of runs, the burden
falls on the pitchers, as every run by the opponent looms
large.
Contributing to Northridge’s chance at winning today is its
stellar pitching. The Matadors have the pitching staff to shut down
the limping Bruin offense. The major player on the team has been
Cheri Shinn, who has a 1.36 ERA, which has helped lower the team
ERA to an amazing 2.02.
The Bruins hope they can reawaken their offense and help turn
around the 11-14 season for UCLA.