Softball Briefs
By Daily Bruin Staff
April 23, 2001 9:00 p.m.
No Freed? No problem
Freshman Keira Goerl (18-1) pitched two of the Bruins’
three games last weekend, winning one. Senior Courtney Dale (5-0)
won Saturday’s game, getting a start in place of junior
Amanda Freed, who was kept out with an elbow injury.
However, fine pitching performances were overshadowed by
defensive errors, as the losing team in all three games this
weekend died by the miscue.
Both Oregon games began with No. 1 UCLA (44-4, 7-4 Pac-10)
piling on the runs early, and the Ducks (25-29, 1-10) making a
late, albeit unsuccessful rally.
UCLA’s largest margin of victory was Sunday, when it
defeated the Oregon Ducks 6-3.
Freshman Stephanie Ramos singled in the top of the second,
scoring senior Crissy Buck and sophomore Natasha Watley. Sophomore
Tairia Mims then hit a two-run home run to give UCLA a 4-0
lead.
A five-hit inning brought Oregon within one. Sophomores Lynsey
Haij and Alyssa Laux, and junior Missy Coe each picked up an
RBI.
The Bruins extended their lead with a run each in the fourth and
fifth innings. In the circle, Goerl allowed a total of eight hits
to Oregon sophomore pitcher Andrea Vidlund’s (9-7) nine, but
Oregon’s four errors eased the Bruins’ victory. UCLA
only committed one error.
Saturday, UCLA held on for a 4-3 victory. The Bruins scored
first, when Watley doubled and scored on an error. Later in the
inning, junior Stacey Nuveman hit a two-run home run. UCLA added
another run in the fifth, which would prove to be the game
winner.
Oregon attempted to come back in the last of the seventh.
Vidlund hit a solo home run, and freshman Kate Peterson hit a
two-run homer to close the gap to three, but that’s all the
Ducks would get.
Oregon’s defensive mistakes did them in, as the Ducks had
three errors on six hits. The Bruins had just one error on nine
hits. Lisa Wangler (5-8) took the loss for UO.
Friday, it was the Bruins who were felled by fielding gaffes, as
they lost to No. 16 Oregon State (35-16-1, 4-5) 2-1. In the last
half of the fifth inning, Beaver sophomore Clare Burnum had a
two-RBI single, scoring senior Brooke Rutschman and junior Michelle
Chariton. Those two unearned runs would prove to be all the Beavers
needed.
In UCLA’s half of the sixth, Watley singled and stole
second, scoring when sophomore Mims singled and tried to go for
two.
The defensive miscues overshadowed a fine pitching performance
by Goerl, who took her first loss of the year, striking out seven,
giving up five hits and walking none, falling victim to the
Bruins’ two errors.
OSU junior Crystal Draper’s (20-8) performance stifled the
Bruin offense, which has been up and down since the Pac-10 season
began. Draper struck out six, gave up six hits and walked none.
As though the Bruins needed another bit of bad news, the
possibility arose Sunday that UCLA may not be No. 1 in
Wednesday’s NFCA/USA Today poll, as No. 2 Arizona swept this
weekend.
The Wildcats garnered six of 27 first-place votes last week but
could capitalize on OSU’s upset of UCLA. Arizona beat No. 3
Stanford 7-0 and No. 4 Cal 2-1 and 2-1.
The Wildcats also leapfrogged Stanford for the Pac-10 lead,
keeping UCLA 1 1/2 games back of Arizona and one back of the
Cardinal.
Brief compiled by Andrew Borders, Daily Bruin Reporter
