UCLA d. CAL 2-0 UCLA d.
Stanford 8-0 UCLA d. Stanford 2-0
By Andrew Borders and
Vytas Mazeika
Daily Bruin Reporters
The Bay Area softball teams came, they saw, and they were
conquered.
No. 3 Stanford and No. 4 California had every intention of
putting their mark on the Pac-10 with a strong weekend at Easton
Stadium, but No. 2 UCLA had other ideas. The Bruins (49-4, 10-4 in
the Pac-10) didn’t allow a run all weekend, relying largely
on the right arm of Keira Goerl.
The freshman hurler pitched 16 of the 19 innings this weekend,
allowing only four hits along the way and earning all three
victories to improve her record to 21-1.
The Cardinal (44-9-1, 9-6) and Bears (47-9, 4-8), on the other
hand, could not contain the Bruin bats. UCLA hitters compiled 23
hits and nine walks en route to Friday’s 2-0 win vs. Cal,
Saturday’s 8-0 win vs. Stanford (a rare mercy-rule game
against a Pac-10 foe) and Sunday’s 2-0 finale vs.
Stanford.
“When they can see they’re disciplined (at the
plate) and when they can see they’re confident (on the
field), they have so much fun,” UCLA Head Coach Sue Enquist
said. “And when they start having fun, they’re really
tough to beat.”
On Saturday, the Bruins jumped out to an early 2-0 lead after
sophomore third baseman Tairia Mims smashed her 15th home run of
the season ““ a shot to straight-away center field. Stanford
held UCLA scoreless the next couple of innings, but a five-run
fourth-inning rally was capped by senior pitcher Courtney
Dale’s two-run, bases loaded single.
The subsequent inning, Mims ended the game with a 185-foot,
bases-loaded single off the left field wall that triggered the
mercy rule.
On Sunday, the Bruins once against jumped out to an early lead
when junior catcher Stacey Nuveman drove an outside pitch down the
right field line to score sophomore shortstop Natasha Watley, who
over the weekend extended her hitting streak to 32 games ““ a
Pac-10 record and fifth-best in NCAA Division I history.
The only other run came on junior second baseman Crissy
Buck’s first home run of the season. Buck, who had been
pitched inside all weekend, was looking for an inside pitch to
drive, and she got one.
“Crissy Buck is the gutty little Bruin on this
team,” Enquist said. “She plays the game so hard, and
she plays with so much vigor.”
Buck and the rest of the Bruins were rock solid on defense all
weekend, including a key play on Sunday against Stanford where
Cardinal first baseman Sarah Beeson was thrown out trying to sneak
into second base before the umpire called a time-out.
“We were heads-up and we kind of stomped out their
fire,” Buck said.
On Friday, UCLA completed the season sweep of Cal with a 2-0
win. The Bruins scored in the first inning when freshman first
baseman Claire Sua reached on a fielder’s choice, scoring
Watley. Nuveman added another run in the sixth with a solo home run
to right-center field, her 14th of the year.
“It was nice to finally get a hold of one. It’s been
a while,” Nuveman said.
Considering she holds the UCLA record for home runs in a season,
the six days since her last home run must have felt much longer for
her.
After a tenuous first inning in which she gave up three walks,
freshman Goerl settled down and kept a no-hitter going through 5
2/3 innings. Goerl issued only those three walks along with three
hits, striking out five.
“She let them in the door a little bit later in the
game,” UCLA Assistant Coach Lisa Fernandez said. “But I
have tremendous confidence in Keira and I know she has the ability
to get herself out of messes.”
Cal senior pitcher Nicole DiSalvio (17-4) threw a strong game,
allowing just five hits and two walks, but striking out only
one.
“I thought Nicole did a great job,” Cal Head Coach
Diane Ninemire said. “We just couldn’t get the key hit
to bring in the run.”