Softball: Bruins back into the swing of things

There were some within softball circles who doubted whether UCLA
could contend for its third consecutive national title after the
Bruins lost their first four Pac-10 games and showed no signs of
breaking out of a season-long offensive slump.

One swing of the bat from UCLA’s Emily Zaplatosch brought
the Bruins right back into the championship picture.

The junior catcher’s walk-off RBI single in the bottom of
the seventh inning on Sunday at Easton Stadium scored second
baseman Caitlin Benyi and propelled UCLA to a 5-4 victory over
rival Arizona and a sweep in the two-game series for the first time
since 1999. The Bruins (23-10, 4-4 Pac-10) routed the second-ranked
Wildcats 9-1 a day earlier.

“It’s good to know we’re back,” third
baseman Andrea Duran said. “It’s good to know
we’re playing the way we know we can.”

While the Bruins’ successful weekend, which included a 4-0
win over Arizona State on Friday, was brought about by a collective
effort, it was Zaplatosch who stood out. The game-winning single
highlighted a weekend in which she hit three home runs and drove in
nine RBIs against Arizona.

“I’m just really proud of Emily’s play,”
UCLA coach Sue Enquist said. “She’s been swinging such
a great stick all year.”

Going into Friday’s contest against Arizona State,
UCLA’s pitching staff had been keeping the team afloat. Over
the weekend, however, the Bruin offense exploded, and the pitching
staff remained strong. In Saturday’s victory over the
Wildcats, UCLA freshman pitcher Anjelica Selden struck out 10
batters without giving up an earned run. Meanwhile, the Bruins
connected for five home runs, four against Arizona ace Alicia
Hollowell, one of the best pitchers in the nation.

“The mystery’s over,” Enquist said.
“This weekend we put it all together and that’s why I
think we’re one of the most dangerous-ranked teams out there,
straight up.”

Picking up where they left off after Saturday’s run-rule
contest, the Bruins scored four runs off Hollowell in the first
inning of Sunday’s game. Zaplatosch’s three-run homer
to left was her third home run in as many at bats.

“I know our pitchers and they’re giving us
everything they have,” Zaplatosch said. “It just feels
really good to be able to give them some run support and pick up
the win.”

That early run support proved to be crucial, as the Wildcats
fought back to tie the game at 4-4. Arizona scored a run in the
sixth and added two more in the seventh off Selden, who had come
into the game in the fifth inning in relief of Lisa Dodd.

Where the Bruins may have caved in and collapsed earlier in the
season, they rose to the occasion during a clutch situation on
Sunday. Benyi singled to open the seventh inning and sophomore
centerfielder Tara Henry and Duran promptly drew walks to load the
bases.

It set the stage for Zaplatosch’s single to left, capping
off a weekend in which the Bruins seemed to put the slow start to
the season behind them.

“It’s tough to come in 1-4 against these
teams,” Zaplatosch said. “But we took care of business.
We had to have at least two of the three games this
weekend.”

They got more than they needed, which is exactly what they
wanted.