Heading into the last weekend of the regular season, the UCLA softball team was looking for consistent performances to build on going into postseason play.
The results from the weekend games weren’t what the Bruins had in mind.
On Thursday, the No. 1 Bruins (43-7, 15-5 Pac-10) took down the No. 5 California Bears (44-12, 11-9) 2-0, clinching their first Pac-10 title since 2002.
But Thursday’s success was tempered when the Bruins traveled to Palo Alto to end the season. The No. 8 Cardinal (38-15, 10-11) knocked the Bruins down two pegs, winning both games – 3-2 on Friday and 5-4 on Saturday.
“I think the bottom line for us is that it wasn’t physical issues so much as it was a mental letdown both (Friday) and (Saturday),” UCLA coach Sue Enquist said.
Thursday’s game started off tight. Both sophomore starter Anjelica Selden (28-5) and Cal’s Kristina Thorson kept it scoreless through three.
In the top of the fourth, the Bruins strung together a two-run rally, with senior catcher Emily Zaplatosch and junior shortstop Jodie Legaspi driving in the runs.
Selden continued her dominant performance, limiting the Golden Bears to three hits while striking out nine. Cal’s Emily Friedman flied out to center to end the game, and the title belonged to the Bruins.
“It was definitely a good feeling (to clinch the division),” Zaplatosch said. “It was the first time for us seniors to win the Pac-10. It was cool to come away with that.”
Enquist said she was impressed with the level of play she saw against Cal. However, the same could not be said for her team’s games against the Cardinal.
In the first inning of Friday’s contest, junior Lisa Dodd (15-2) walked leadoff hitter Catalina Morris, then struck out the next two batters. After Morris stole a base, she was able to score on a single by Cardinal freshman Maddy Coon.
The Cardinal extended their lead 2-0 in the third, and the Bruins responded, tying the game in the next half inning on singles by Legaspi and Dodd.
But Morris scored again in the sixth for Stanford, making the score 3-2 and handing the Bruins their sixth loss of the season.
The team displayed a lack of mental focus for the games against Stanford, Enquist said.
“I felt like we didn’t come ready to play Friday or Saturday. I just know that they’re capable of more.”
The Cardinal scored in the first again on Saturday, this time moving out to a 2-0 lead, which was extended to 3-0 in the second. Once again, the Bruins responded by tying the game.
In the bottom of the third, a rare throwing error by Zaplatosch allowed Coon to score on a sacrifice fly, making the score 4-3. Stanford increased its lead the following inning on a wild pitch by Selden.
The Bruins scored one more run in the fifth, but the rally fell short and the score was locked at 5-4 for Stanford.
These last two losses did nothing for the Bruins’ postseason standing, as the Bruins still earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday. However, the team sees the losses as a learning opportunity.
“We came away with a few things we can work on and some lessons that we learned as a team,” Zaplatosch said. “It’s just the little stuff that got us.”