Softball reaches end of road in Pac-10 finale

Friday, May 10, 1996

By Brent Boyd

Daily Bruin Contributor

Anybody that has taken a recent history class was surely
informed by the professor that history has a tendency of repeating
itself. Well, the players and coaches of the UCLA and Washington
softball teams would not disagree.

A year ago, the Bruins travelled to Seattle for their final
conference games of the season in hopes of clinching their sixth
Pacific 10 Conference title in eight seasons. A sweep meant the
championship. Anything less represented heartache. UCLA easily won
the first game 3-0, easing ever closer to the championship.

However, the Bruins could manage only five hits in the nightcap,
spoiling a great pitching performance from B’Ann Burns, and in the
process lost both the game 1-0, and the Pac-10 title by half of a
game.

But now the tide has turned. UCLA (40-8 overall, 19-7 Pac-10)
will have a chance to exact revenge when it takes on the Huskies on
Sunday in Seattle, as top-ranked Washington (51-7, 21-3) has the
opportunity to clinch the conference title for the first time in
the program’s history.

Washington hosts Arizona State twice on Saturday, and if they
win both, all they will need is one victory over the Bruins to
clinch the title outright. The Bruins only opportunity to capture
the title would require the sharing of the banner with the Huskies.
For this to happen, they would need to sweep Washington and hope
for tons of help.

The Sun Devils (10-16 Pac-10) would have to sweep Washington,
and second-ranked Arizona would have to lose two of four games
against Pac-10 cellar-dwellers Oregon (5-16 Pac-10) and Oregon
State (3-18). As a result, the Bruins have as much likelihood to
capture a piece of the title for the first time since 1992 as the
Clippers do of winning the NBA Championship next season.

The Huskies have experienced a storybook season. Ranked ninth in
the preseason polls, they opened the season on a 41-game road trip,
awaiting completion of the remodeling of Husky Softball Stadium.
Completing that stretch 34-7, losing only once to a team not ranked
among the top 10 ­ they lost 1-0 to No. 13 California ­
Washington has enjoyed even more success upon returning home.

In front of an average attendance of over 1,300, the Huskies ran
off 15 straight wins and in the process became only the second
sport ever from the school to gain the No. 1 ranking (the football
team was No. 1 most recently in 1992).

Sara Pickering (hitting .409) and Jennifer Cline (9 home runs,
60 RBIs) lead the Husky lineup. While the hitting lineup is strong,
pitching is their strongest point. The top-ranked pitching staff in
the conference with a 1.38 ERA is led by Heather Meyer (21-2, 0.79
ERA).

The two clubs met April 7 in Westwood, splitting a twinbill.
Washington won the first game 4-1, while the Bruins came back to
win Game 2, 4-3 in eight innings. Things may be different on Sunday
as starting UCLA shortstop Nicole Odom is doubtful to see action.
Odom, hitting .352, will be replaced by Christie Ambrosi.

Ambrosi filled in admirably last week, as Odom was unable to
play in consecutive double headers against California and Stanford,
making only one error in 20 chances throughout the four games.

"I definitely don’t see a dropoff in our performance," UCLA
co-head coach Sue Enquist said.

Victories over Washington would improve the Bruins’ stock for
the upcoming NCAA regionals. The pairings will be announced Sunday
evening and UCLA is hoping for one of the top four seeds and a
possible home game.

Even if the Bruins are given one of the top four seeds, it is
not guaranteed that they will be given home games. In each of the
last two seasons, UCLA received the second seed and was sent to
South Carolina.

"We have no idea where we’ll be placed, the committee can’t be
predicted; there is no equation that they draw from," Enquist
said.

Nevertheless, a sweep over Washington would definitely put a
favorable impression in the minds of the committee and would help
the Bruins receive a better position in the playoffs.