As utility players, Krista Colburn and Kristen Dedmon are called
upon to fill many roles. Pitching, though, usually isn’t one
of them.
But when starting pitcher Lisa Dodd hurt her throwing hand
before last weekend’s Bulldog Classic, UCLA softball coach
Sue Enquist called upon both Colburn and Dedmon to fill in for the
injured sophomore.
Not Colburn, Dedmon nor any other player aside from Dodd and
star freshman pitcher Anjelica Selden had yet to take the mound for
the Bruins this season.
“We knew we were vulnerable if we just had two
pitchers,” Enquist said.
Not wanting to place the entire burden on Selden, Enquist
decided to find a viable arm elsewhere.
After a grueling and disheartening 14-inning, 3-2 loss to
unranked Mississippi on Friday, in which Selden pitched the entire
game, Enquist decided that the freshman had done enough, summoning
Colburn for the nightcap against Iowa State.
Colburn, a talented pitcher in high school, stepped up to the
challenge and exceeded expectations, throwing a four-hit,
nine-strikeout shutout en route to her first victory as a
collegiate pitcher.
“She just did a terrific job. You couldn’t have
asked anything else from her,” Enquist said.
With Dodd unable to start the following Sunday, Enquist once
again looked to Colburn, as well as Dedmon, to take the mound.
Both players delivered much-needed solid innings and, more
importantly, placed UCLA in a position to win at the end of the
game.
With a one-run lead heading into the final inning, Enquist then
turned to her ace, Selden, who pitched a scoreless seventh inning
and collected her second save of the season.
Selden’s dominance on the mound continued later that day,
as she threw a no-hitter against No. 20 Fresno State ““ her
second no-hitter in as many days.
She won’t get her next opportunity to throw a no-hitter,
though, until next week against No. 3 Texas ““ and by that
time, Dodd also figures to be ready to pitch.
Enquist is not taking any chances, however, and will have
Colburn and Dedmon throwing toward the end of practices.
Though she only had two starting pitchers on the roster to begin
the season, given what transpired last weekend, Enquist knows she
can count on Colburn and Dedmon to fill in whenever needed.