Softball powers through series against Arizona State after close match with Cal

There was no shortage of offense for the Bruins in their sweep over the Sun Devils this weekend, consisting of 35 runs and 10 homers between the three games in Alberta B. Farrington Softball Stadium.

But what coach Kelly Inouye-Perez was most proud of wasn’t the results. It was how No. 1 UCLA softball (35-1, 9-0 Pac-12) stayed positive and responded to failure.

“Our game is challenging in that it can be very outcome-oriented, like how many runs you are scoring or how many hits did you get? Inouye-Perez said. “Our game is tricky because we have hitters that are having quality at-bats and are squaring up to hit balls hard but are not getting hits. But we have to focus on the process separate from our outcome.”

The two players Inouye-Perez talked about from the Arizona State (25-14, 5-7) series that powered through their recent struggles were sophomore utility Kinsley Washington and freshman utility Kelli Godin.

In the seven games leading up to the series in Tempe, Arizona, Washington went 5-for-25 at the plate. She was rung up seven times and all five of her hits were singles.

Washington responded by going 1-for-3 on Saturday and picking up two hits in the series finale on Sunday, including her first collegiate home run.

“I was telling her to be patient, but it’s hard to be patient when you’re not getting an outcome,” Inouye-Perez said. “Her ability to focus on the process, stay positive, … (if you stay positive, and) let go of your frustration, the game will start paying you back. Her home run was a big one.”

Godin struck out twice in the opener Friday night – just the third time that has happened all season.

“It’s a mental challenge and you don’t always get to own the game,” Inouye-Perez said. “(Godin) struck out twice on day one, haven’t seen her do that all year.”

She shook off the punch outs with three hits and two runs in the next two games of the series. Her contributions were also visible by the dirt and grass stains she has worn all season, swiping two bases and making multiple diving catches in left field.

“She made some spectacular defensive plays that flipped the momentum and prevented them from getting on the board,” Inouye-Perez said.

UCLA – after barely breaking double-digit runs in last weekend’s series against California – scraped by with back-to-back one-run victories in Berkeley.

UCLA responded to its 10-run showing against Cal by more than tripling that number down in the desert.

Senior catcher Taylor Pack only got two hits against the Bears but was at the forefront of Bruins’ offensive explosion with three total home runs and 10 RBIs against the Sun Devils.

“I was just focusing on doing what I thought was right for my swing and not trying to focus on what their pitching or what they were throwing,” Pack said. “I was focusing on keeping it simple for myself.”

Junior utility Bubba Nickles only had two hits in eight tries against Cal. She turned it around and got at least one hit in all three games against the Sun Devils. She also drove in five RBIs and recorded her 10th home run of the season.

“We knew we had it in ourselves, but I think that sometimes we struggle to maintain that confidence,” Nickles said. “These past three games were a great representation of us just being ourselves and sticking with our plan.”