Softball briefs

Squad prevails at Hallowell Classic

The No. 1 UCLA softball team (34-0) won all six games at the
Hedrick’s Hallowell Chevrolet Classic in Fresno last weekend,
just one game from matching a school-record best start of 35-0.

In Sunday’s game, the Bruins defeated No. 7 Fresno State
(14-4) 8-2. UCLA scored all eight runs on eight hits in the fourth
inning. Junior Stacey Nuveman opened the scoring with a solo home
run.

On Saturday UCLA took out unranked New Mexico State (11-23) 4-0.
Bruin freshman Keira Goerl, who recorded a perfect game last week,
threw all seven innings and gave up only three hits to notch her
11th win of the year. The usual suspects struck again for UCLA,
with sophomore Tairia Mims and freshman Claire Sua recording two
RBIs each.

Later that day, the Bruins defeated Pac-10 foe No. 15 Oregon
State (21-10-1) 3-2. Junior pitcher Amanda Freed got her 14th win.
Senior Lupe Brambila provided the drama, hitting her fourth home
run of the year in the bottom of the seventh inning to win the
game.

Friday, the Bruins defeated Cal Poly (9-10) 9-1. Goerl scattered
five hits over the six-inning mercy-shortened game and was assisted
with home runs by Brambila, Sua and Nuveman.

In the nightcap, UCLA dispatched No. 11 DePaul (11-3-1) 4-0.
Freed conceded only three hits and went all seven innings, striking
out seven. Sua had the game-high in RBIs with two. Mims and
sophomore Erin Rahn, getting a rare start, hit a homerun each.

UCLA opened the tournament Thursday with a win over Colorado
State (3-20) 8-1. It was the Bruins’ third win of the year
over the Rams, who were the only team to leave Fresno winless.

UCLA senior pitcher Courtney Dale got the start and the win, her
third of the year. Dale has been seeing an increasing amount of
time as she labors back from off-season shoulder surgery.

Freshman Erin Murray, Thursday’s losing pitcher, came in
to relieve in UCLA’s 11-3 win March 2. She surrendered
UCLA’s final three runs in 1 1/3 innings Thursday.

The Bruins next visit the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (7-16)
Wednesday at 2 p.m. While UCSB has no one hitting better than .296,
its three pitchers are no higher than 2.17 in ERA, led by freshman
Ashley Carroll at 1.64.

Brief compiled by Andrew Borders, Daily Bruin Contributor.