Softball to open Pac-10 against Washingtom with pitching duel
By Min Kang
March 31, 2010 9:53 p.m.
Three games, two heavyweights and what promises to be a spectacular pitching clinic on display.
It is the Pac-10 opener between two teams known for their arsenal of talented arms, and the UCLA softball team is well aware of what lies ahead in the next three days.
“Knowing that you’re going up against a top-quality pitcher, you definitely need to bring your A-game,” junior pitcher Donna Kerr said. “Hopefully, it’s going to come down to a pitching duel.”
Riding a 12-game winning streak, No. 5 UCLA (28-4) heads north today to face No. 1 Washington (28-2) in the first game of a three-game series. Add in the fact that the Huskies are the defending national champions, and the intensity level of the match up goes up a notch.
“It definitely pumps you up a bit more, knowing that you’re going against the defending national champions,” Kerr said.
The Bruins head into Washington having built up some momentum. Just last weekend, UCLA nabbed decisive wins in all five scheduled games. And in the past 12 games, the Bruins have outscored their opponents by a margin of 79-16.
“I expect us to win,” coach Kelly Inouye-Perez said. “Ultimately, it’s really about us getting up there and testing ourselves. Regardless of the opponent, our focus right now is to ignite.”
In the other dugout will be a Husky team with similar goals. Led by National Player of the Year Danielle Lawrie, Washington clinched its first NCAA softball title last season despite finishing second in the Pac-10 behind UCLA.
This year, Lawrie is at it again, boasting a 0.98 ERA as well as an 18-0 record, best in the country. Filling in nicely as the second option is freshman Bailey Harris who has a 2.56 ERA and a 9-2 record.
On the other hand, the Bruins have had some success against the Huskies’ star pitcher, particularly sophomore left fielder Andrea Harrison.
In the first outing between the two teams last year, Harrison hit a walk-off two-run home run off Lawrie in the bottom of the 11th inning, helping her team take the three-game series 2-1.
“I definitely carry last year with me, and I know that as a pitcher on a team, you don’t forget certain hitters,” Harrison said. “For me, I just need to keep doing what I’ve been doing. I’m hitting well right now, and I just tell myself every time I go up to bat that I can beat this pitcher and that I will get a hit.”
The UCLA pitching staff has been just as dominant, with a collective ERA of 1.26. Offensively, the Bruins are hitting .350 as a team, while the Huskies are batting .328.
Mesh the numbers and the historical accomplishments together, and what results is a much-anticipated showdown between the two teams.
“I’m excited,” Inouye-Perez said. “The Pac-10 season is always a good time for us to get out there and get a good start.”
