Freed is hurt
The No. 1 Bruins will be without ace junior pitcher Amanda Freed
and her 0.51 ERA this weekend, as team doctors discovered that
muscle had separated from bone in her throwing elbow due to a
nuance of her pitching motion.
Looking strong
UCLA (42-3, 5-3 Pac-10) continues its Pac-10 schedule, traveling
up the coast to play No. 16 Oregon State (33-15-1, 2-4) on Friday
and then Oregon (25-26, 1-7) on Saturday and Sunday.
Against the No. 15 Huskies last weekend, the Bruins used strong
pitching, solid defense and clutch hitting to survive a 14-inning
epic in game one on Friday, winning 5-4 on Claire Sua’s
bases-loaded game-winning single. Game two was less stressful as
Freed pitched a two-hitter in a 4-0 win. Both Keira Goerl and Freed
pitched solid games, and both registered double-digit
strikeouts.
Pitchers still carrying team
Goerl continued her amazing freshman season by out-dueling
Washington freshman Tia Bollinger and maintaining her perfect
record in the 14-inning game last Friday. She pitched all 14
innings and is now a perfect 16-0 with a 1.07 ERA. With her 14
strikeouts, Goerl has now notched 90 in 111 innings. She has
established herself as UCLA’s second ace and seems to be
gaining confidence as the season progresses.
Freed returned to her usual dominance Sunday against Washington,
earning her ninth shutout against the Huskies, improving her record
to 17-3 with a dominant 0.51 ERA. After striking out 10 Huskies in
the 4-0 win, she now has struck out an incredible 128 in only 123
innings, allowing only 60 hits and 18 walks.
Offense forced to rely on home runs
The Bruins are batting .353 as a team and have five players
batting above .400, led by Claire Sua (.428) and Stacey Nuveman
(.424), and three other players hitting above .300. However,
averages can be misleading. In the last few games the offense has
slumped, forcing the Bruins to rely on clutch home runs to supply
the offense. In both games against Washington, the offense hit well
and got on base, accumulating 23 hits and 10 walks in the process,
but wasn’t able to get the important hits to drive in runs.
Tairia Mim’s team-leading 13th homer in the first game and
Nuveman’s 12th in the second game provided six of the
Bruins’ nine runs in the two games.
Ducks and Beavers
Oregon State, the Bruins’ opponent Friday, is a strong
contender in the Pac-10 and is on a three-game winning streak after
beating Oregon twice by a combined score of 19-2 and shutting out
Portland State 3-0. They are only 2-4 in the Pac-10, but seven of
the conference’s eight teams are nationally ranked, and the
Beavers are not a team that the Bruins can disregard. They are led
by pitchers Crystal Draper (19-8, 1.21 ERA) and Monica Hoffman
(12-7, 1.45 ERA).
The Beavers’ offense lacks the explosive power of the
Bruins, and they can’t compete with the Bruins’ team
speed, collecting only 14 stolen bases compared to UCLA’s 92,
but overall Oregon State is a balanced team. The team had a 10-game
winning streak entering conference play, but is only 4-5 in its
last nine games. UCLA holds a 56-4 edge in the overall series
between the schools and has already beaten the Beavers once this
year 3-2, winning on a walk-off homer by Lupe Brambila at the
Hedrick’s Hallowell Chevrolet Classic on March 3.
Oregon comes into the weekend series against UCLA having lost
eight of its last 10 games, mostly against Pac-10 opponents. The
Ducks lack a dominant starter but they are led by Andrea Vidlund
(9-5, 3.41 ERA) and Connie McMurren (8-13, 4.03 ERA). Lisa Wangler
(.375 average, 13 stolen bases) sparks the offense, while Vidlund
(seven HRs, 19 RBIs) and Triawn Custer (eight HRs, 30 RBIs) provide
the power. The defense has been spotty at best, committing 75
errors and making life difficult for the pitchers. UCLA holds a
45-7 edge in the overall series.
Notes compiled by Michael Sneag, Daily Bruin Contributor.