By Michael Sneag
Daily Bruin Contributor
[email protected]
The top-seeded UCLA softball team took care of business on
Thursday, defeating No. 6-seeded Liberty 3-0 in the team’s
first game of the Regional playoffs at Beckham Field in Columbia,
S.C.
Senior Amanda Freed pitched seven strong innings, allowing only
a leadoff single in the second inning and shutting out the Lady
flames. In the process, she picked up her 97th win, giving her the
all-time record for wins by a UCLA pitcher.
She also racked up 10 strikeouts, her fourth double-digit
strikeout game of the season. She now has 747 career strikeouts,
which places her third on the all-time Bruin list.
Freed was 1-for-4 with an RBI at the plate.
Junior Tairia Mims provided the offensive punch with a two-run
home run in the fifth inning, her 12th of the year. The Bruins got
their other run in the sixth on an RBI single to center field by
Junior Natasha Watley, driving in Stephanie Ramos, who had singled
sharply up the middle to open the inning.
Liberty starter Jennifer Hurley was in trouble all game,
allowing seven hits and two walks in her four plus innings, but
managed to keep the UCLA offense in check until the fifth.
The Bruins had a hit in every inning, threatening early and
often, but didn’t break through until the blast by Mims. They
ended up leaving nine runners on base for the game.
Junior shortstop Mary Beth Kennell had the Lady flames’
only hit of the day. She attempted to score on a groundout to
Freed, but was thrown out at the plate.
The Lady flames, making their first-ever appearance in the
tournament, fall to the losers’ bracket.
UCLA moves on in the double-elimination tournament format and
plays its next game tonight at 7 p.m. against an opponent that has
yet to be determined.
With reports from Diamond Leung, Daily Bruin Senior Staff.