By Greg Lewis
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Wednesday will showcase a special weekday edition of redemption
time.
After starting off last weekend’s road trip in Arizona by
shutting out Arizona State, UCLA came out with two disappointing
efforts in a row: letting Arizona come back from an eight-run
deficit Saturday then suffering a five-inning mercy rule defeat to
the Wildcats Sunday.
Saturday’s game against the Wildcats was especially
troubling, as the Bruins had led at one time by a score of 9-1. The
Wildcats won on Sunday, 12-1.
“I think one of the best things about this team is their
ability to see every day as a new day,” head coach Sue
Enquist said.
That better be the case as the Bruins (36-10 overall, 11-6
Pac-10) take on the top-ranked Washington Huskies (54-6, 14-3)
today at 2 p.m. at Easton Stadium.
The Bruins and Huskies have split their two games thus far this
season, both in Seattle.
Washington won the first game 3-1 on April 21, but Bruin pitcher
Amanda Freed impressed a national television audience the next day,
beating the Huskies 1-0 and completely shutting down the middle of
the Washington lineup.
Freed ended that game in dramatic fashion, striking out Jennifer
Spediacci with the bases loaded and two out in the bottom of the
seventh.
That game also showed what the talent on the UCLA club is
capable of doing, but the Bruins have been plagued by inconsistency
all year long, losing to lesser-known schools such as Illinois
State and Hofstra.
So UCLA is back in the underdog role this afternoon, though that
is something the team cherishes.
The Bruins also have a tendency to come out on fire after
playing sub-par games. With the exception of the 1998 season, which
was played without scholarship players, UCLA has not lost three
games in a row since April 1996 ““ a remarkable feat
considering the team plays over 60 games a year, about 30 of which
are played in the toughest conference in the country.
“If we can play every game as if it is the last and
maintain focus, we should be all right,” Enquist said.
Looking to help the Bruins bounce back is freshman Natasha
Watley, who is still leading the team with a .413 batting average
and 24 stolen bases ““ one shy of the single-season school
record.
Second baseman Lyndsey Klein has also been a clutch performer
all season and will be key for the Bruins. She recently switched
with Julie Adams from third to fifth in the lineup. Klein, who
checks in with a .660 slugging percentage, provided the only run in
the win in Seattle and also popped a grand slam this weekend
against Arizona.
Each week also brings pitcher Courtney Dale further along in her
return from shoulder surgery. Last weekend, Dale pitched almost a
full game’s worth of innings, her longest effort yet. She is
also regaining her touch at the plate, batting .333 on the
season.
Washington will counter with their own strengths. Look for head
coach Teresa Wilson to use both of her star pitchers, Jennifer
Spediacci and Jamie Graves, during the game.
This year, the Huskies have become much more of a power threat
at the plate than usual. So far the team has 75 home runs, far
surpassing the previous school record of 39. Jennie Topping and
Jamie Clark lead the Huskies with 22 and 20 homers
respectively.
The Huskies went 2-1 in the Arizona heat last weekend but
maintained control of the conference race. The No. 2 Wildcats used
three solo home runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings to
come from behind and beat Washington 3-2. The Huskies then beat the
Sun Devils twice in Tempe.