By Greg Lewis
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Thursday afternoon’s 8-0 defeat of Canisius was exactly
what No. 3 UCLA wanted. In the double-elimination Region 4
tournament, however, it is only one day out of a possible four for
the defending NCAA champion Bruins.
Up next for the top-seeded Bruins is third-seeded and No. 20
Long Beach State.
“Before the first game, there’s always a little bit
of unknown,” UCLA head coach Sue Enquist said. “But
we’ve settled down nicely, and now we’re in a good
place.”
The Bruins flew through Thursday’s game, racking up an
NCAA-record 10 stolen bases, including four by freshman Natasha
Watley. That number should only be a percentage of the total
against the 49ers, however.
LBSU has both pitcher Kristi Fox (24-9), who gets the ball to
the plate quicker than either Canisius pitcher, and strong-armed
catcher Erin Tucker.
“They’re welcome to go on Tuck,” said 49ers
head coach Pete Marinaro. “I don’t think UCLA will be
running too much on us.”
Fox is equally confident in her team’s abilities.
“It’s going to be a tough game and we know that, but
we also know that if we play our game, we have the talent to beat
UCLA,” she said.
Both Bruin pitchers have already gotten a shot at LBSU. Courtney
Dale (8-3) pitched a 6-0 shutout on Feb. 12, and Amanda Freed
(22-7) pitched five scoreless innings before a rainout stopped the
game on March 4.
The Bruins are coming into the game as winners of four in a row,
outscoring the opposition 30-8 in that stretch. On the flip-side,
the 49ers are losers of five of their past nine, most of those
against lower-level teams.
LBSU will not know which UCLA pitcher they will face until just
before game time. Freed pitched Thursday, making her the least
likely choice. Courtney Dale already shut out the 49ers in
February, but LBSU has not seen 10-1 Stephanie Swenson.
. . .
In the first game of the day, second-seeded No. 15 Iowa scored
four runs in the third and fifth to mercy-rule the fifth-seeded
Bethune-Cookman Wildcats in a 9-1 five inning affair.
In the final game, fourth seed and No. 24 Florida State edged
LBSU 2-0. Fox pitched solidly, but the typically strong 49er
defense let two runs through in the top of the sixth.
Now Bethune Cookman will play Canisius in the first game Friday
at 10 a.m., while Iowa plays Florida State in the third game at 3
p.m.