After winning first two, UCLA softball falls to Oregon State in third game of series
Juinior B. B. Bates had an RBI single to tie the score in the fifth inning of Sunday’s game against OSU, a 7-5 loss. UCLA took the series 2-1.
Softball
Oregon State 7
UCLA 5
By Tyler Drohan
April 1, 2012 11:56 p.m.
The stage was set for another storybook ending for UCLA softball at Easton Stadium on Sunday.
In a season that has featured numerous walk-off hits and comebacks, the No. 14 Bruins found themselves in position for another grand finale.
Looking to complete a three-game sweep in the finale of their opening conference series against the visiting Oregon State Beavers, the Bruins were down to their final strike twice in their last two at-bats.
With runners on second and third and two outs, trailing by two in the bottom of the seventh inning, senior first baseman Andrea Harrison fouled off pitch after pitch with a full count before drawing a walk to load the bases for junior outfielder B.B. Bates.
Bates had tied the game earlier with an RBI single in the fifth. This time, however, Bates lifted a 1-2 pitch to center field for the final out of the game. The Bruins’ two-run, seventh inning rally fell short in a 7-5 loss to OSU.
“The best thing I shared with the team is (that) championship teams put themselves in a position to win,” coach Kelly Inouye-Perez said. “This team has something special that they can dig deep and I think it’s a big part of that championship mentality that will take us very far.”
Inouye-Perez was mindful that the Bruins (25-7, 2-1) let an opportunity slip away.
“Trust me, that opponent doesn’t walk away feeling like they beat us,” Inouye-Perez said. “They know they got away with something.”
After surrendering three runs in the top of the fifth, UCLA countered with sophomore shortstop Kellie Fox’s two-run blast to left-center. The home run pulled UCLA within one, trailing 3-2 after five innings, and was a familiar response for the Bruins this season.
“I think now it is expected of us because we do it all the time,” Bates said of the team’s ability to hit under pressure. “We know how to compete when the stakes are really high. I feel like it’s expected from us; we know how to do it.”
The Bruins had already wrapped up the series with 8-4 and 8-0 (5 innings) wins on Friday and Saturday. Sophomore pitcher Jessica Hall picked up both wins, one in relief, before surrendering the loss in her start on Sunday.
“She just threw her guts out,” Inouye-Perez said of Hall. “When she dials it up, she’s literally one of the toughest pitchers in the country.”
OSU (26-10, 3-3) broke a 3-3 tie with four runs in the seventh against Hall. Following two singles and a fly out, Hall hit a batter to bring up OSU senior designated player Paige Hall. The clean-up hitter promptly laced a first-pitch double to left driving in two runs for the Beavers. OSU followed with a two-run single to make it 7-3 before Hall retired the next two batters to end the inning.
“I feel very confident with my team and that makes me confident in my performance and what I’m going to go out there and do,” Hall said.
The Bruins’ rally included a no doubt, two-run shot by freshman outfielder Ally Carda. Carda’s homer to deep center closed the gap to 7-5 and was followed by a walk, pop out to second, single and passed ball, setting the stage for Harrison and Bates.
“I knew we were going to punch back there and I knew it was going to come down to the last pitch and that’s what we did,” Hall said.
