UCLA swoftball gears up for tough games in Oregon
By Chris Chen
April 15, 2010 10:12 p.m.
The bases were loaded in the bottom half of the final inning against Washington. There were two outs and the Bruin softball team was desperately clinging to a one-run advantage.
Then a groundball found its way right to GiOnna DiSalvatore, manning shortstop, and there was the collision.
Amid the screams and confusion, the game ended. Runner’s interference on the baserunner running from second to third.
Washington’s bench erupted in protest of the call, while UCLA’s erupted in exuberance.
This may have been two weeks ago, but in a sense, the Bruins are en route for collisions with teams from the always-tough Pac-10 conference. Bumps, bruises and tensions will all be renewed, and perhaps the most recent series against Arizona State, where the Bruins were swept, provided the team a jolt of reality.
This weekend, UCLA (27-9, 1-5 Pac-10) travels to Corvallis, Ore. to face Oregon State (21-18, 2-4 Pac-10). The Beavers are coming off a 10-8 win against Stanford after losing their previous three games by a combined three runs.
Armed with a strong lineup with six batters hitting better than .300, the Beavers will look to take advantage of a pitching staff that has had its fair share of recent struggles.
“The Pac-10 always is (tough),” junior pitcher Whitney Baker said. “The Pac-10 is one of the most competitive conferences, and anyone can win any day. It’s important that we play to our level every game; it’s going to be a dog fight to the end, but hopefully, we can turn it around.”
It has become apparent that the Bruins have been riding the highs and lows of the season. But it does seem as if the current five-game losing streak has been a rude awakening, if anything.
“There’s always a sense of urgency,” Baker said. “We have to play better softball, play better defense, put some more runs on the board. … We’re going to figure it out, and I think that everyone knows that. It’s just a hiccup on the road, we’ll get back to it.”
A new attitude is forming, and it’s something the Bruins will look to take as they head to Corvallis and into the deeper portions of conference season.
“Anything can happen in the Pac-10,” coach Kelly Inouye-Perez said. “The game is just telling us that we have to be better. We’ve got to go to work on how we can flip this and in the bigger picture, I believe that we are capable. If we weren’t capable, then the expectations wouldn’t be so high. … When we get things going on all cylinders, watch us then. It will be a lot of fun when we get back on track.”
It seems as if the Bruins still hold a supreme sense of confidence against Oregon State this weekend, aware of their bumps and bruises, prepared for the collisions that may ensue in this weekend’s matchup.
