Softball finds road a little less bumpy
By Daily Bruin Staff
April 18, 1996 9:00 p.m.
Friday, April 19, 1996
UCLA begins soft portion of schedule at Arizona State this
SaturdayBy Brent Boyd
Daily Bruin Contributor
After being swept by top-ranked Arizona last Saturday, the UCLA
softball team could breathe a sigh of relief, knowing it had just
finished off the toughest portion of its schedule. Or had it?
The Bruins have spent the last three weekends dealing solely
with the two toughest opponents in the nation. In the two weeks
prior to the Arizona sweep, UCLA split with second-ranked
Washington and was swept by the Wildcats in Tucson.
The Bruins have only one contest left with a top-10 opponent, a
rematch with the Huskies on the final date of the regular season.
But there is one problem  third-ranked UCLA will have to play
out the remainder of its contests away from the friendly confines
of Easton Stadium, where they have amassed a 17-5 record.
Instead, beginning with Saturday’s doubleheader against Arizona
State in Tempe, the Bruins will embark on a 12-game road trip to
bring the 1996 season to a close.
The Sun Devils (24-19 overall, 4-10 Pacific 10) enter the
contest just one spot out of the conference cellar, but they should
provide formidable competition. Although only winning three of
their last 12 games, they had a 21-10 start to the season are
currently ranked 20th in the nation.
Partially contributing to their strong start was a victory over
UCLA at Easton Stadium on March 14. In the opening game of the
doubleheader, the Sun Devils parlayed a seventh-inning rally into a
4-3 victory, snapping UCLA’s 11-game winning streak and handing
them their only loss in an 18-game stretch. That loss knocked the
Bruins from atop the national rankings, a position the club has
been unable to regain.
Lisa Dacquiso powers the ASU lineup. Her .461 average is
fourth-best in the Pac-10 and her 27 stolen bases are tops in the
conference. ASU should have a distinct advantage on the base paths
as teammate Erin Hull has 21 steals to her credit. Meanwhile, UCLA
has 16 total stolen bases.
While the Bruins are lacking in team speed, they more than make
up for on the mound. The Bruins boast the second-best pitching
staff in the conference with a 1.62 ERA, while ASU ranks just ahead
of last-place Oregon State.
While the Bruins are lacking in team speed, they more than make
up for on the mound. The Bruins boast the second-best pitching
staff in the conference …
