UCLA softball allows big innings in 4-2 opening weekend
Senior pitcher Ally Carda ended the SoCal Collegiate Classic with a 3-1 record and a 1.29 earned run average in 16.1 innings pitched. But the rest of the Bruins’ pitching staff struggled to match Carda’s consistency, accruing a 3.09 ERA and allowing allowing 32 hits in 22.2 innings of work. (Katie Meyers/Daily Bruin senior staff)
Softball
| No. 7 UCLA | 13 |
| No. 24 Texas A&M | 0 |
| No. 22 Notre Dame | 8 |
| UCLA | 4 |
| No. 24 Texas A&M | 6 |
| UCLA | 4 |
| No. 7 UCLA | 9 |
| Purdue | 3 |
| No. 7 UCLA | 4 |
| San Diego State | 1 |
By Matt Joye
Feb. 9, 2015 1:38 a.m.
Last year, it took UCLA softball 18 games before it finally fell from the ranks of the unbeaten.
This year, even though all but two starters returned from that squad, the wait before the team’s first loss wouldn’t endure past the second day of the season.
In this past weekend’s SoCal Collegiate Classic, the No. 7 Bruins stormed out of the gates looking like a team that would challenge – or possibly surpass – last year’s 17-0 start. UCLA overcame an early deficit in its season opener against Idaho State to win 13-3 by mercy rule in six innings, and then one-upped that feat in a Friday matinee game against No. 24 Texas A&M;, winning 13-0 in five innings.
But the Bruins were quickly brought down to earth Friday evening and Saturday afternoon, as the consecutive days of back-to-back games seemed to wear a bit on UCLA’s pitching staff and defense.
In the early Friday game against Texas A&M;, senior ace Ally Carda performed like the pitcher who was Pac-12 Player of the Year in 2014, as she started and pitched four innings of shutout ball. But similar to the season-ending NCAA Super Regional series against Kentucky last year, Carda and the Bruin defense behind her unraveled in the second game of the doubleheader, allowing Notre Dame to score six runs in the final inning – five of which were unearned. Because of that collapse, the Fighting Irish won 8-4 after trailing 4-2 entering the final frame.
Then in their following game Saturday afternoon, the Bruins allowed yet another six-run inning. This time the letdown came in the top of the second, against a Texas A&M; squad that UCLA defeated 13-0 a day earlier. Freshman pitcher Selina Ta’amilo incurred most of the damage in the inning, allowing four runs – all earned – while Carda relieved Ta’amilo and allowed the final two runs of the frame.
Though UCLA bounced back and won its final two games of the tournament against unranked Purdue and San Diego State by scores of 9-3 and 4-1, respectively, the first weekend of the season provided some warning signs for the Bruins in the circle.
Last year, with Carda and then-senior Jessica Hall as the No. 1 and No. 2 starters, UCLA formed one of the best pitching duos in the country. But now with Hall gone, the new Bruin freshman pitchers have struggled thus far to fill the void at the No. 2 starter position, leaving Carda overworked at times.
In the six games UCLA played over the last four days, the two Bruin freshman pitchers – Ta’amilo and Johanna Grauer – combined for a 3.39 earned run average, surrendering 30 hits in 20.2 innings of work and allowing opponents to hit .375. Of the four combined starts between them, only one lasted more than three innings – Grauer’s start on Saturday night against Purdue.
The Bruins may have only lost two players from last year’s 52-8 team, but one of those losses has proven critical thus far – and has seemingly been the difference between a 17-0 start last season and a 4-2 start this year.
Compiled by Matthew Joye, Bruin Sports senior staff.
