UCLA
Florida Atlantic
Softball Earns USF-Louisville Slugger Invitational Title
February 06, 2000 | Softball
Feb. 6, 2000
Tennessee Box Score
Florida Atlantic Box Score
TAMPA, Fla. - The UCLA Bruins earned the USF-Louisville Slugger Invitational title on Sunday in Tampa, winning their semifinal game over Tennessee 6-0, and the championship game 7-3 over Florida Atlantic. Four Bruins were named to the All-Tournament Team.
Home runs were the order of the day against the Lady Vols, as five of the team's six runs came on home runs. Senior Julie Marshall and junior Courtney Dale started it off in the first inning with back-to-back shots. Marshall's homer was her second of the season and 36th of her career, and was a two-run homer.
Marshall added another RBI in the third inning, then Lyndsey Klein provided UCLA's next run in the fifth inning, with an inside the park home run. Freshman Tairia Mims then made it three career home runs in as many days, with a solo homer in the sixth inning to close out UCLA's scoring.
Sophomore Amanda Freed earned the pitching victory, walking four and striking out 12 in seven innings of work.
The championship game featured the weekend's two undefeated teams, UCLA and Florida Atlantic. A leadoff walk to Freed in the first inning led to UCLA's first run, as Marshall's single brought Freed home. The Owls tied the contest in the bottom of the second inning, and the score remained 1-1 until the top of the fifth inning, when the "visiting" Bruins came to bat.
Mims led off with a walk, and was sacrificed to second by freshman outfielder Monique Mejia. Junior Lupe Brambila then grounded to the third baseman, who threw the ball away and allowed the runners to advance. Natasha Watley then tripled to right field and was batted in by Klein, who had an RBI single to give UCLA a 4-1 lead.
The Bruins added three insurance runs in the top of the seventh, with back-to-back triples by Brambila and Freed, and finished by a one-run single by Dale. The Owls countered with two runs in the bottom of the inning, but it was too little too late, as UCLA took the championship game 7-3.
Dale, who was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, earned the victory with 10 strikeouts. Freed was named the Most Outstanding Pitcher. The two were joined on the All-tournament Team by Klein and Mims.
The top-ranked Bruins return to action on Thursday, when they begin play at the Paradise Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii.
