Bruins win second game, look ahead to competition in Pac-10

UCLA vs. Long Beach 2-3, 10-0

By Vytas Mazeika
Daily Bruin Senior Staff

Non-conference games for UCLA softball are glorified
exhibitions. They are scrimmages where the team gets to practice
their defense and take batting practice.

But every once in a while, the exhibition turns into a duel and
a rare loss. Long Beach State, in the first game of a doubleheader
on Saturday at Mayfair Park, won 3-2 in nine innings. It was
UCLA’s first loss of the season and its first regular season
non-conference loss since a 1-0 Fresno State win on Mar. 12, 2000
““ a span of 52 games.

The Bruins (17-1) scored two runs in the top of the fifth to
break a scoreless tie, but the 49ers (15-5) answered with two
unearned runs in the sixth against senior Amanda Freed. Then, with
one out in the bottom of the ninth, Freed loaded the bases with a
hit batter and two walks. A sacrifice fly to center field by
Natalie Walker scored Nicole Spencer to end the game.

“It’s not a setback, it’s just a marker of
where we are,” UCLA head coach Sue Enquist said.

After the game Enquist was very critical of her team’s
inability to execute at the plate (UCLA left 13 runners on base),
saying the Bruins sometimes play as if they deserve to win because
they create more opportunities.

“The game is only going to reward the team that
capitalizes on their opportunities,” Enquist said. “And
just because we had more opportunities doesn’t mean that we
have a sense of entitlement to win the game. We don’t. We
can’t.”

The Bruins use their non-conference schedule to try and set a
standard for the long run. And although the team responded with a
10-0 win in the second game, UCLA allowed two errors to give them
four for the day.

“We are underachieving a little bit right now on an
individual basis,” said senior infielder Stacey Nuveman, who
went 7-for-7 in the two games, including a home run and four RBI in
the win. “Overall, we’re pretty humbled by a loss, but
we’re looking forward to this next week and our upcoming
game.”

Sophomore pitcher Keira Goerl, criticized by Enquist for walking
three batters in her no-hitter last Wednesday, shut out the 49ers
on two hits, striking out 11 and walking none.

“I would consider it personally a better game for
me,” Goerl said. “The walks are horrible.”

With Pac-10 conference play not starting until Mar. 29, the
Bruins still have about 20 non-conference games left to reach their
goal of consistency.

Enquist believes the team’s current record is deceiving,
and the loss to the 49ers supports her theory. In the Pac-10, UCLA
won’t score 10 runs often, if ever.

Offensive numbers prove nothing during non-conference games.

“All it does is cloud your perception of how good you
are,” Enquist said. “And so I remind them,
“˜You’re not that good.’ The Pac-10 is relentless.
It does not give you an opportunity to regroup.”