Softball relies on younger players in Cathedral City Classic
Freshman Jessica Hall pitched in four of UCLA’s five games in Cathedral City.
Cathedral City Classic
UCLA 12
Ohio State 5
UCLA 5
Northwestern 4
Tennessee 7
UCLA 1
UCLA 3
Oklahoma 0
Florida 4
UCLA 1
By Min Kang
Feb. 28, 2011 2:43 a.m.
A congregation of 34 teams gathered in Cathedral City Thursday through Sunday, ready to beat each other up in a massive softball rumble.
The No. 2 UCLA softball team entered the fray as one of the participants, but with injuries shrouding its full potential, development was imperative.
“There was a big sense of urgency. We played some very good teams, and it showed what we’re all about,” freshman catcher Alyssa Tiumalu said. “I think we did pretty well.”
At first glance, those might not seem like appropriate words to emanate from the defending national champions. After all, the Bruins won just three of the five games they played in the annual Cathedral City Classic. Yet despite the pair of losses, the Bruins’ three days of competition more than anything accentuated the emergence of the freshman players.
“We walk away with some great positives,” coach Kelly Inouye-Perez said. “We got to see different Bruins step up, early in the games and late in the games. We got to learn a lot about (freshman pitcher) Jessica Hall. She’s a fighter and got tested with some great opponents but had some great moments.”
Hall, who has suddenly become the Bruins’ No. 1 option in the circle with junior Aleah Macon and senior Donna Kerr easing their way back from injuries, spearheaded UCLA (13-3) into Friday’s game against No. 4 Florida (14-0), masterfully protecting a 1-0 lead through five innings before the Gators rallied in the sixth to hand the Bruins a 4-1 loss.
Kerr returned to the circle in the Friday evening game against No. 6 Oklahoma (12-5) after having missed the previous four games, pitching five scoreless innings before Hall took over and recorded her first career save in UCLA’s 3-0 victory.
The Bruins summoned Hall yet again to pitch against No. 8 Tennessee (14-2), only to be bombarded in a 7-1 loss.
UCLA then turned to Tiumalu to lead the team to victory Sunday against Northwestern (7-5). The freshman catcher’s walk-off, two-run home run won the game for the Bruins 5-4 in dramatic fashion.
And in UCLA’s weekend finale, Hall was again handed the ball and promptly proved her mettle, tossing a complete game and allowing just two earned runs in the Bruins’ 12-5 win over Ohio State (4-11).
“I knew I was going to get the ball a lot this weekend just because of the injuries,” Hall said. “But I was ready to take on any challenge, and I knew that I just had to have my teammates’ backs.”
Hall showed her resiliency in the circle, and it was Tiumalu who led the way at the plate, going 9-for-15 with five runs batted in over the three days.
“I’m trying not to make the game bigger than it is,” Tiumalu said. “I’m just going up there with a see-the-ball, hit-the-ball approach, and it’s working really well.”
Soccer star sighting
A standout forward on the UCLA women’s soccer team, junior Sydney Leroux made her debut as a member of the softball team against Florida, pinch running in the seventh inning. She went on to score a run and record a stolen base over the weekend.
