Wednesday, April 29, 1998
Two errors leave UCLA, Huskies split
SOFTBALL: Past four wins have all come in doubleheaders; Bruins
take first game 3-2, drop second 7-1
By Kristina Wilcox
Daily Bruin Staff
In a reversal of fortune, the UCLA softball team took the first
game of their doubleheader at Easton Stadium against No. 3
University of Washington.
In the past 18 games the Bruins (15-22, 5-13 Pac-10) have a 4-14
record, with the four wins all coming in the second game of a
doubleheader.
But UCLA, thanks to Husky errors, came out on top in the first
game on Tuesday, winning 3-2.
The Bruins scored all three of their runs in the fourth inning,
while the Huskies (39-10, 14-6) made two errors. Freshman Casey
Hiraiwa started the rally with a single, and then senior Kim Wuest
was hit by a pitch and cleanup hitter Nicole Odom walked. Freshman
Lupe Brambila followed with an RBI single that drove in Hiraiwa.
Odom and Brambila would later score on the left fielder’s misplay
of senior Karen Hoshizaki’s liner.
The two unearned runs made a difference in the game as
Washington would rally in the top of the seventh with back-to-back
doubles by Jeanine Giordano and Rosie Leutzinger.
The Huskies easily handled the Bruins in the second game,
7-1.
Washington starting pitcher Jen Spediacci had a fine outing on
the mound, pitching all seven innings. With the win, Spediacci
moved her record to 17-5, with an impressive 1.29 ERA.
UCLA came across with their lone run in the fourth inning when
Odom hit into a fielder’s choice and scored on Marin Noack’s
single.
The Huskies knocked Bruin starter Lyndsey Gayer (2-6) out of the
game in the second inning. Washington then chipped away three more
runs against freshman Stephanie Swenson before junior Erin Weiler
closed the game. Weiler (8-8) was the winning pitcher in the first
contest.
"The second game wasn’t that great," Brambila said. "We need to
improve on our fielding."
The team made two errors, but there were a couple of mental
errors that went unrecorded.
As one of the few veterans playing, Wuest was pleased with the
outcome of the doubleheader.
"As a team we played well," Wuest said. "It’s just a matter of
the team being consistent. We’ve been splitting a lot of
doubleheaders with good teams."