COURTNEY STEWART Sophomore Monique Mejia
fields the ball during a 7-0 win over Long Beach State earlier this
month.
By Vytas Mazeika
Daily Bruin Contributor
With four completely different victories, the top-ranked Bruins
(19-0) showcased a little bit of everything in Austin, culminating
with a 1-0 victory over Wisconsin in the championship game of the
Texas Invitational.
Junior catcher/infielder Stacey Nuveman was responsible for the
game’s only run. After sophomore outfielder/infielder Tairia
Mims drew a two-out walk, Nuveman hit an RBI double to give UCLA a
1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.
The Bruins, who scored 60 runs in the UNLV Classic just a week
ago, could not muster as much offense Sunday. So junior
pitcher/outfielder Amanda Freed took it upon herself to shut down
the Badgers (7-7).
Freed (9-0), who also pitched a shutout on Friday against Cal
State Fullerton, allowed only four hits and no walks to go with
eight strikeouts en route to the complete game.
The 1-0 win was a contrast to the tournament opener against the
same team on Friday when UCLA torched Wisconsin 12-1 in five
innings.
“Our bats just weren’t as hot as they’ve been
leading up to this weekend,” Nuveman said. She added that she
thought the fact the Bruins had to work to win was “character
building.”
“It’s one thing to put up the runs, it’s
another thing to have to come from behind. It’s not ideal,
but I think it’s good that we had to pull out the wins
however we had to,” she said.
Due to rain, the semifinal games were cancelled. On Saturday
UCLA took the field against host Texas.
Bruin freshman hurler Keira Goerl was tagged for three runs in
the bottom of the first by the No. 22 Longhorns (10-9), but Goerl
(5-0) kept the Texas hitters in check the rest of the game,
allowing only one hit past the first inning. Meanwhile, the offense
chipped away at the lead.
Senior pitcher/designated player Courtney Dale hit an RBI single
in the third. The Bruins also got a pair of RBI singles by first
baseman Claire Sua and outfielder Stephanie Ramos.
With the game in extra innings, sophomore infielder Toria Auelua
put the Bruins up 4-3 with her first home run of the season. Freed
came in to pitch the bottom of the eighth to record her first save
of the season.
Against the Titans (14-6) on Friday, UCLA endured a one-hour,
23-minute rain delay during its 4-0 win. UCLA jumped to a 1-0 lead
in the second inning thanks to an RBI single by Auelua. Then in the
seventh, Mims had her ninth home run of the season, which brought
in three runs.
On Sunday UCLA Coach Sue Enquist was mixed in her feelings after
the close final game.
“In the championship game today we played excellent
defense. It got us out of a pinch a couple of times,” she
said. “What’s disappointing is, we have faced this
team, this pitcher before. Our bats were just lazy today.
“I anticipate a different team will show up
tomorrow.”