Bruins enter college world series

  EDWARD LIN/Daily Bruin In Saturday’s NCAA regional, SDSU
senior Tashie Aguinaga tries to beat the throw as
Bruin junior Crissy Buck waits at first.
NCAA Regionals UCLA 9, CSUN 0
UCLA 3, SDSU 1 UCLA 11, SDSU
0

By Andrew Borders
Daily Bruin Reporter

You’d be hard pressed to find an unbiased fan who could
say that the top-seeded UCLA Bruins wouldn’t win the No. 2
regional and earn their 17th berth since 1982 in the NCAA
Women’s College World Series.

That they did, but other than sixth-seeded Coastal
Carolina’s exit on the first day, nothing went according to
plan. A Cal State school did challenge the Bruins for that berth on
Sunday, but its uniforms said San Diego State, not Fresno
State.

The second-seeded Bulldogs were ousted in Friday’s morning
game by third-seeded Cal State Northridge, 3-1.

That was after they lost to fifth-seeded Wisconsin on Thursday,
also 3-1. The only game the vaunted Bulldogs won was against
Coastal Carolina by the blowout count of 6-4.

So much for the seedings.

After falling to fourth-seeded SDSU 2-0 on Thursday and pulling
off the upset against Fresno on Friday, the Matadors were soundly
bounced from the tournament by UCLA 9-0.

In her first outing since April 14, junior Amanda Freed allowed
the Matadors only one hit, to CSUN senior pitcher Sarah Farnworth.
Freed threw five innings, striking out seven with Farnworth’s
hit being the only CSUN runner all game. Freshman Keira Goerl threw
a perfect two innings to end the game.

“I was a little nervous coming into the game, but once I
got the first couple pitches out of the way, I was fine,”
Freed said of her comeback appearance.

“I think Amanda’s getting very close to (100
percent),” UCLA Head Coach Sue Enquist added.

Offensively, the Bruin bats exploded in the last two innings
after notching one run in the fourth when sophomore Natasha Watley
singled in senior Courtney Dale.

In the sixth, freshman Stephanie Ramos had a two-RBI single,
bringing in sophomore Toria Auelua and junior Crissy Buck.
Sophomore Tairia Mims then hit a double, scoring Ramos from first
and putting the Bruins up 4-0.

In the seventh inning, Freed singled and later scored on an
error by CSUN freshman shortstop Amber Copelan. Later in the
inning, Mims singled in Watley, who reached on a fielder’s
choice, putting UCLA up 6-0. Junior Stacey Nuveman took it from
there, hitting a three-run home run that cleared the scoreboard in
left field and scored Ramos and Mims.

“I didn’t leave anything to question,” Nuveman
said about the gargantuan home run.

The teams that really deserved to challenge the Bruins turned
out to be the fourth-seeded San Diego State Aztecs and Wisconsin
Badgers. Those two teams met twice in the regional, with both games
taken by SDSU and decided in the seventh inning.

Friday, the Aztecs slid by the Badgers 1-0 when freshman Joann
Figueroa’s single allowed pinch-runner freshman Shannon Flynn
to score from second.

The upstart Aztecs were sent to a rematch with Wisconsin
courtesy of UCLA’s 3-1 victory over SDSU earlier in the day.
Sophomore Tairia Mims hit a solo home run to centerfield in the
third inning, but Aztec freshman Janna Kovensky answered in the
fourth with her own solo shot, low off the scoreboard in left.

But the Bruins clinched a spot in Sunday’s regional title
game with a run each in the fifth and sixth. Ramos continued her
clutch hitting, knocking a single to right field that had sophomore
pinch-runner Erin Rahn motoring around third for a close play at
the plate. Rahn was safe, and the Bruins took a 2-1 lead.

The following inning, Dale picked up an RBI single, scoring
sophomore Monique Mejia to seal the victory for UCLA.

“I knew it was going to be close, but all I could think
was that I’d better get around the catcher if I’m going
to get in,” Rahn said of the slide into home.

In the circle, SDSU senior Sandra Durazo, who had only
surrendered two hits in 14 innings going into the game, gave up
eight against the Bruins while all three runs were earned. Goerl
gave up only three hits and one earned run.

Enquist had praise for the stalwart Aztec pitcher and her
teammates.

“Even when we collected on her go-to pitch, she would come
right back to it,” she said. “I was impressed with how
she didn’t get out of her game plan too much. It looked like
they enjoy that underdog role. I think that’s smart. It keeps
them loose and at their best.”

SDSU Head Coach Kathy Van Wyk said that, even in the loss, she
was pleased with the level of the Aztecs’ play.

“I have the greatest respect for the Bruins, but I am so
proud of our kids for that game,” she said. “I think
they gave them everything they could handle. I think we hit the
ball harder than they did. They got a few weak hits that fell in,
and we couldn’t get them to fall through. They played
excellent defense.”

In the second game of the regional between SDSU and Wisconsin,
the Badgers tallied one run in the fifth inning, but were sent home
when the Aztecs erupted for six runs in the final stanza, sending
10 batters to the plate and earning a rematch with UCLA on
Sunday.

But the Aztec juggernaut flamed out in the final game. UCLA
run-ruled SDSU 11-0 in five innings. Ramos’ first-inning home
run was the start of a day that included 14 hits and five walks
from a triad of SDSU pitchers.

UCLA manufactured three runs in the second inning, added a
towering solo home run by Nuveman in the fourth and enacted the run
rule by scoring four in the fourth, knocking Durazo out of the
game.

The Bruins capped the day when Dale hit a two-run home run in
her final at bat at Easton Stadium.

On the defensive side, Freed gave up only one hit while UCLA
went errorless for the tournament.

“We saw the real UCLA today against a tired Sandra
Durazo,” Van Wyk said. “It’s been a tremendous
ride.”

For the Bruins, meanwhile, the ride to Oklahoma City has just
begun.

Ңbull;Ӣbull;Ӣbull;

The field of eight for the Women’s College World Series in
Oklahoma City to begin on Thursday was set Sunday, with four Pac-10
teams in the field.

The tournament will begin with the No. 1 seeded Arizona Wildcats
facing the No. 8 seeded California Golden Bears, followed by the
No. 4 seeded Michigan Wolverines against the No. 5 seeded Oklahoma
Sooners.

The No. 4 regional at Alabama was the only one in which the
hosting team did make it to Sunday’s final game.

After a midday break, the opening day of the WCWS will continue
with the No. 3 seeded Louisiana State Tigers facing the No. 6
seeded Stanford Cardinal. The second-seeded Bruins will take the
field in the last game of the day against the seventh-seeded Iowa
Hawkeyes.