Getting on base is key for Bruins in Pac-10 conference

  EDWARD LIN/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Crissy
Buck contributes on the field and at the plate by getting
hit 14 times to get on base.

By Michael Sneag
Daily Bruin Contributor

Senior Crissy Buck has been hit by a pitch 14 times this
year. It seems like every game she is getting plunked. She
loves it because she knows that she is helping the team find a way
to score runs.

As the Bruins head into the thick of the Pac-10 schedule, the
little things become more important. Moving runners, taking
extra bases and getting hit by a pitch are the things needed to win
in the ultra-competitive Pac-10.

Fundamentals on offense are just as vital as the fundamentals of
pitching and defense, and the team is working hard to implement
them.

The Bruins have been proficient in creating offense. They
are scoring 6.3 runs a game, but runs will not be as easy to come
by during the conference schedule. As the quality of opposing
pitching improves, the execution on offense is going to have to
keep up. Finding a way to get runners on base and creating
runs becomes important.

So far, the offensive numbers are extremely impressive.
UCLA’s .356 batting average leads the nation but its .438
on-base percentage is even more impressive. Getting on base
via walks and hit-by-pitches has put pressure on opposing pitchers
and forced defenses into mistakes. They have drawn 143 walks
along with 22 hit-by-pitches, led by Buck’s 14.

“It’s an art form really,” Buck said,
laughing. “I just want to get on base and help the team
score. I just do whatever I can to help the team win, and if
that means taking a few bruises, that is fine with me.”

Once the Bruins have runners on base, they use a combination of
sacrifice bunts and steals to advance runners into scoring
position. Led by junior shortstop Natasha Watley’s 29
steals, the team has piled up an impressive total of 73 in 40
games.

“My job (as the leadoff hitter) is to get on base and
score anyway I can,” Watley said. “It sounds simple but
it is pretty hard.”

The Bruins have also made judicious use of their pinch runners,
taking advantage of sophomore speedsters Amanda Simpson and Julie
Hoshisaki, who have combined to score 26 runs.

Finding a way to squeeze single runs out of the top Pac-10
pitchers is crucial because getting that big inning is just not
going to happen often.

“The game is completely different in the Pac-10,”
head coach Sue Enquist said. “Sometimes it is hard for
our fans that are used to us banging out runs to see us playing for
single runs, but we have done a great job of advancing runners so
far.”

Last weekend, the Bruins were able to end Arizona’s
70-game home winning streak with the aid of two Stacey Nuveman solo
blasts. In the first inning, junior Tairia Mims showed the
Bruins’ strength for playing small ball as well.

Hitting in the three hole, Mims laid down a perfect
sacrifice bunt to advance runners in what turned out to be a
four-run first inning that set the tone for the game.

UCLA knows that in order to score runs, they are going to have
to manufacture them sometimes and not just wait for the big
blast. The pitching and defense will obviously have to perform
as well, but the onus is on the offense to find a way to get the
runs across.

The rest of the Pac-10 schedule will be a good test of how
potent the offense can be and how successful they are at doing the
little things needed to win games.