Squad to play UC Riverside
By Daily Bruin Staff
March 5, 2001 9:00 p.m.
SOFTBALL PREVIEW vs. UCLA vs. UC
Riverside Today 1 p.m. Double-header Easton Stadium
By Andrew Borders
Daily Bruin Contributor
When the UCLA softball team (26-0) faces the UC Riverside
Highlanders (6-13-1) in a two-game set today, the Bruins will get
the opportunity to silence the criticism that they become
complacent after the first game of a doubleheader.
“We’ve got to learn to be more mentally
disciplined,” UCLA Head Coach Sue Enquist said.
The opposition’s record should give no inclination that
today’s twin bill will be a walkover.
UCLA won the second games of doubleheaders in last
weekend’s Easton Classic by only two runs each over the
University of South Florida and Colorado State, teams with sub-.500
records.
The highest batting average for a consistently playing
Highlander is .233, held by junior outfielder Kiara Burneleit.
In the circle, UCR’s lowest ERA belongs to freshman Jenell
Jackson at 2.93.
But UCLA’s statistics show a team that is capable of
devouring just about any opponent.
Freshman first baseman Claire Sua, at .461, edges out junior
catcher Stacey Nuveman (.460) to be UCLA’s current leader in
batting average. Two other Bruins, sophomore shortstop Natasha
Watley (.412) and sophomore rightfielder Tairia Mims (.405) are
also over .400
Freshman centerfielder Stephanie Ramos is close behind at
.377.
The Bruins have the pitching to match. Junior Amanda Freed,
fresh off her no-hit performance Sunday against UNLV which earned
her Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week honors, is 11-0 with a daunting 0.10
ERA. In the 68 innings she has pitched, Freed has struck out 75
batters.
Senior Courtney Dale is finding her way back into the lineup,
holding a 2-0 record with one save in the circle, as well as
logging time as the team’s designated player. Dale, whose ERA
is 1.22, had offseason shoulder surgery and is seeing limited time
on the mound.
While Dale recovers, freshman Keira Goerl and senior Stephanie
Swenson have done a more than adequate job filling in. Goerl is 8-0
with a 1.29 ERA and Swenson is 5-0 with a 1.30 ERA.
Beyond averages and ERAs, UCLA has kept its core players in the
game, as Sua, Nuveman, Watley, Mims, Freed and freshman leftfielder
Stephanie Ramos have started all 26 of this season’s
contests. In contrast, only four Highlanders have started all 20 of
their team’s games.
The Bruins’ record in doubleheaders is 10-0, and they have
won those games by a combined score of 74-10. However, UCLA has won
the second game of the last three doubleheaders by scores of 3-1,
2-0, and 5-3.
Those close margins don’t fit for a team capable of
defeating No. 10 Cal State Fullerton 18-3, which they did Feb.
7.
Freed says that fatigue may be a factor in the team’s
inability to slam the door on its opponents as twilight nears.
“It’s always hard to play 10 to 14 innings straight
through and stay focused every inning, so we’re working on
that,” she said. “I think we’ll be
fine.”
The Bruins have another doubleheader coming this afternoon. On
paper, it should be an easy day for the squad, but as their
doubleheaders have gone lately, the old saying holds true: They
don’t play games on paper.
