UCLA softball comes off of two Pac-12 wins to face Cal State Northridge
By the Numbers:
13
home runs hit by CSUN this season
13
team-leading number of home runs hit by LaRosa this season
- 571*
batting average for LaRosa last week
By Tyler Drohan
April 18, 2012 1:50 a.m.
When visiting Cal State Northridge invades Easton Stadium today to take on UCLA softball in a non-conference game, the Matadors will bring with them a new kind of challenge for the home team.
Playing a non-conference game right in the middle of its Pac-12 conference season, UCLA will try to avoid the tendency to look past a struggling challenger. The visiting Matadors’ 8-31 record is a far cry from the fierce competition of the Pac-12, in which every team remains above .500.
For the No. 15 Bruins, the challenge will be to come out and take care of the opponent early at home. The Matadors, conversely, will try to avoid being swept away by the Bruins.
“I think what we’re learning is the season is a journey and we’re learning as much as we can as a team so that we can be at that point where we play our best ball,” said coach Kelly Inouye-Perez of the Bruins.
UCLA (29-12) had struggled early in the Pac-12, losing four straight games at one point, but have since righted the ship, winning four of their last six. Inouye-Perez’s goal is for the Bruins to play their best at the end of the year when postseason play begins.
“We have great drive to be able to be that team to beat any team in the country back-to-back,” Inouye-Perez said.
The Bruins began their climb back up the conference standings, where they are currently fifth, by taking two of three games against No. 16 Stanford at home last week, and also taking two of three in a weekend series at No. 9 Washington.
“We came out strong, we came out wanting to play ball and then when we were behind, we came back and did everything we should’ve done,” said senior catcher Dani Yudin of the team’s performance last week.
Sophomore pitcher Jessica Hall picked up two wins, two losses and a save, including a complete-game shutout of Washington in Saturday’s 5-0 win.
“I’ve just been trying to stay relaxed,” Hall said of her approach in the circle. “Play it one pitch at a time and just don’t try to do too much, just carrying that mindset over each inning and not thinking ahead to the final score.”
The Bruins also received a huge lift last week from freshman third baseman Stephany LaRosa. For her efforts in UCLA’s six games, the freshman was named Pac-12 Player of the Week and was also named USA Softball National Player of the Week by the Amateur Softball Association. LaRosa recorded a hit in all six games last week, extending her career-long hit streak to seven games.
