Softball: Desert Demise

UCLA went into their series against No. 1 Arizona hoping to take
back the top spot in the rankings.

But after blowing a pair of late-inning leads this weekend, the
No. 2 Bruins (27-3, 0-2 Pac-10) will have to start by pulling
themselves out of last place in the conference.

With star pitcher Keira Goerl in the circle, UCLA blew a
five-run lead in the seventh inning on Saturday and followed it up
by losing a three-run lead in the sixth inning on Sunday.

“I felt upset, frustrated. It was kind of almost a sick
feeling,” sophomore Caitlin Benyi said after Sunday’s
loss.

The two-game series may have been the Pac-10 opener for both
UCLA (27-3, 0-2 Pac-10) and Arizona (38-1, 2-0), but it clearly has
conference title implications. The Bruins and Wildcats, the
sport’s two top teams all year long, only face each other one
more time, so UCLA could be hard-pressed to dig itself out of the
early hole.

With Goerl (15-2) pitching for UCLA, the Bruins appeared to be
in great shape Saturday, holding a 5-0 lead heading into the bottom
of the seventh.

But Goerl, who has been wild at times this season, could not
maintain control to get the last three outs.

After striking out the first batter of the inning, the next
three Wildcats reached base on a hit and two walks.

Goerl then walked designated player Wendy Allen for
Arizona’s first run, bringing up cleanup hitter Mackenzie
Vandergeest.

After fouling off pitch after pitch, she finally got a mistake
from Goerl. Vandergeest hammered it over the left field fence, and
suddenly the game was tied at 5-5.

A few batters later, Arizona would complete Goerl’s
seventh-inning meltdown. With two outs and a runner on first,
sophomore Shelly Schultz took the 0-2 pitch to left for a walk-off
home run, as Arizona won 7-5.

Goerl was unavailable for comment Sunday, but coach Sue Enquist
said she’s not worried about the team’s star
pitcher.

“The more (Goerl) throws, the better she will be,”
Enquist said. “Goerl is going to be there for us.”

On Sunday, UCLA held a 4-1 sixth-inning lead when the squad fell
apart once again.

Goerl, who had held Arizona hitless through the first five
innings, gave up back-to-back singles to start the inning, and then
Arizona’s Caitlin Lowe hit a home run to right field to tie
the game at 4.

For the second day in a row the Bruins lost the lead in the
seventh, but this time their main weakness ““ their defense
““ contributed to their demise.

Arizona’s Kristie Fox started the inning with a single off
Duran’s glove. She moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt, as
Lisa Dodd dropped the ball.

This brought up Schultz, who beat the Bruins for the second time
in as many games with a single, driving in Fox for a 5-4 Arizona
win.

One positive that emerged from the weekend’s wreckage was
the Bruins’ offensive firepower. UCLA touched up Arizona
standout sophomore Alicia Hollowell (25-0) for nine runs, most of
which came by the long ball.

Enquist said she expects the team to learn from its mistakes in
Arizona and do better next week.

“We’re going to take advantage of the things we
learned,” Enquist said. “That’s going to be what
helps us get through this week.”