Softball: Team effort guides path to World Series

The big question for the UCLA softball team during regional play
apparently wasn’t whether it would make a clean sweep.
Rather, uncertainty seemed to center upon who would be the one to
come through for the Bruins each day. As top-seeded UCLA rolled to
four straight wins this past weekend, its potent offense was the
epitome of a team effort. Senior Stephanie Ramos went 3-for-3 with
a walk-off home run, giving the the Bruins a 8-0 mercy rule victory
over Mississippi Valley State on Thursday. Sophomore Andrea Duran
hit a solo home run and an RBI double in Friday’s 2-0 shutout
of Louisville. While Duran struggled the next day against Alabama,
freshman Jodie Legaspi was mobbed at home plate by her teammates
after her walk-off three run home run in the ninth inning, giving
the Bruins a 5-2 victory. And when the Bruins clinched their
Women’s College World Series berth on Sunday by defeating
Alabama 7-0, it was a consistent effort from the top to the bottom
of the lineup. “We definitely feed off each other, you can
feel when everybody’s starting to get a hang of it and
everybody’s getting on the ball,” senior Claire Sua
said. “So it’s definitely almost a domino
effect.” Over the weekend, players seemed to take turns
playing hero for the day. “All of us know that on any given
day, anybody can be in that position,” Sua said. The team
realizes that if one of its players is struggling, then someone
else has to pick up the slack. While Legaspi stepped up on
Saturday, Duran returned to form the next day, driving in three
runs on two hits. “I just went in there confident, and saw
that Caitlin (Benyi) wasn’t really getting on like she
normally does, so I thought I should pick it up for her,”
Duran said. Bruin hitters took turns contributing all weekend, as
senior Julie Hoshizaki, batting in the ninth spot, doubled in the
game-winning RBI on Sunday and ignited UCLA’s three-run rally
in the second inning. Hoshizaki, who scored twice, later got an
infield single, going 2-for-3 on the day. And Benyi, who had struck
out twice earlier in the game, pounded a solo shot over the center
field fence in the sixth. “We just have a real mix,”
coach Sue Enquist said. “We can play long ball, we can also
play the small ball. We’ve got speed, we got everything we
need. It’s just a matter of going out there and dong it. We
have a lot of contributors.”

ALL BY HERSELF: UCLA didn’t need a team
effort from its pitching staff. Senior ace Keira Goerl was
spectacular, pitching every inning of all four games and allowing
just two runs. Sunday was the hallmark of her postseason so far, as
she retired 14 batters in a row against an Alabama team that had
been subject to her pitching the previous day. “My big thing
is pitching depth, and she showed she could go four games in a
row,” Alabama coach Patrick Murphy said. Goerl not only
earned Most Outstanding Player honors at the Regionals but was also
named to the All-Regional team, along with Duran, Ramos, Legaspi
and Benyi.