NICOLE MILLER/Daily Bruin Erin Rahn is tagged out in the
fourth inning of Wednesday’s game against Cal State Fullerton while
trying to steal second base. UCLA 4 CS Fullerton
2
By Vytas Mazeika
Daily Bruin Contributor
Eventually the UCLA softball team will start firing on all
cylinders, but as of now the top-ranked Bruins are a work in
progress.
During Wednesday’s 4-2 home victory over Cal State
Fullerton, the Bruins seemed out of sync offensively for the first
few innings before regaining some momentum in the second half of
the exhibition game.
According to UCLA head coach Sue Enquist, the plan was to work
on attacking the ball while being selective with the pitches. But
the Bruin hitters became too aggressive and the Titan pitchers did
a good job of expanding the strike zone.
“I think (Fullerton’s) pitchers did a nice job …
of showing the up and getting us on the down,” Enquist said.
“So we were able to see what we need to work on.”
One positive for Enquist’s squad was UCLA’s ability
to play an error-free game despite constant defensive switches. The
Bruins used three different catchers, three first basemen, three
second basemen, three third basemen, two left fielders, two center
fielders and three right fielders. Sophomore shortstop Natasha
Watley was the only player to play one position the entire
game.
The top of the first inning saw the most exciting play of the
day. With one out and a runner on first, a Fullerton player lined a
double to left center.
Freshman centerfielder Stephanie Ramos picked up the ball and
fired it back to the infield. Watley caught Ramos’ throw and
relayed a perfect strike to home plate. Junior catcher/infielder
Stacey Nuveman, who felt the play was a marker for the team, had
the plate blocked and applied the tag.
“I personally am a fan of plays at home,” Nuveman
said. “I love blocking the plate. So it was good that the
first defensive play of the year for us was a relay
play.”
Except for that play, the first three innings were uneventful,
with the teams combining for three hits and two walks.
The Titans struck first in the top of the fourth when freshman
pitcher Keira Goerl entered the game in relief of junior Amanda
Freed. Fullerton tagged Goerl for two hits and drew a bases-loaded
walk to score the first run of the game.
For the game, Goerl ended up allowing five walks in five innings
of work, but Enquist was pleased with her young recruit’s
poise and perseverance. Goerl allowed only two runs while trying to
trim her strike zone and gained valuable experience.
“I was a little nervous at first,” Goerl said.
“But I felt better in the last inning. I talked to (assistant
coach) Kelly (Inouye-Perez) before it and she said, “˜Just go
out there and throw’ … So I decided to just go out there
and throw hard.”
The Bruins tied the game in the sixth, only to relinquish the
lead right back in the top of the seventh. Then Fullerton appeared
to implode, as the Bruins used three clutch hits and a couple of
errors to produce three runs and take a 4-2 lead.