Six-Game Week on Tap for 15th-Ranked Bruins
April 02, 2013 | Softball
April 2, 2013
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2013 UCLA Softball Media Guide
Tuesday, April 2
4 p.m. (Doubleheader) - #17/#15 Washington at #15/#15 UCLA
Online Coverage: Game 1 Gametracker | Game 2 Gametracker
Live Updates | Audio
Wednesday, April 3
12 p.m. - #17/#15 Washington at #15/#15 UCLA
Online Coverage: Gametracker | Live Updates | Audio
Saturday, April 6
12 p.m. PT (Doubleheader) - #15/#15 UCLA at Utah
Online Coverage: Game 1 Gametracker | Game 2 Gametracker
Live Updates | Audio
Sunday, April 7
11 a.m. PT - #15/#15 UCLA at Utah
Online Coverage: Gametracker | Live Updates | Audio
SIX-GAME WEEK ON TAP FOR 15TH-RANKED BRUINS
The 15th-ranked Bruins play six times this week, first hosting a three-game series against #17 Washington at Easton Stadium Tuesday (4 p.m. doubleheader) and Wednesday (12 p.m.) before heading to Utah for the weekend (Saturday twinbill at 12 p.m. PT, Sunday at 11 a.m. PT). Gametracker and free live audio will be available at UCLABruins.com, in addition to live updates at twitter.com/uclasoftball.
ON DECK
The Bruins host fourth-ranked California next week for a Thursday-Saturday series at Easton Stadium. The first of the three-game set on Thursday, April 11 will be broadcast live on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. Game two is on Friday, April 12 at 7 p.m. (new start time), followed by the series finale on Saturday, April 13 at 1 p.m.
BRUINS IN THE POLLS
The Bruins are 15th in both of this week's national polls. UCLA lost three spots and 59 points in the USA Today/NFCA rankings and dropped one position and 47 points in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll. The Bruins received 28 points and were ranked seventh in the preseason Pac-12 Coaches poll.
BRUINS ON THE WEB
Gametracker and free live audio will be available for all six games this week at UCLABruins.com. In addition, in-game updates will be available via twitter.com/uclasoftball.
NEWS AND NOTES
Sophomore Stacey Nuveman (.466) and Megan Langenfeld (.515) ... junior B.B. Bates, who leads all Pac-12 players in homers (14) and total bases (85), is seventh in UCLA history in homers with 44. The senior is also in the Bruin Top 10 in three other categories, placing seventh in slugging (.607) and 10th in both runs (149) and RBI (164) ... freshman Britney Rodriguez has hits in five of her last nine games (six total), with four of those six hits leaving the yard ... sophomore Gracie Goulder has reached base in 18 of her last 20 contests and leads the team with 31 runs scored ... junior Devon Lindvall has hits in eight of them ... freshman Allexis Bennett has reached base in seven of her last nine contests, posting hits in six of them (.391 BA, 9-for-23, three two-hit games) ... the Bruins, who are third in the nation in fielding percentage (.983), made just four errors during the first 16 games of March before committing three on Friday at Stanford ... UCLA has scored more than a quarter of its runs, 50 of 191, in the first inning and is 18-2 this year when scoring in its first at-bat ... since the start of the 2010 season, UCLA is 110-3 when scoring at least six runs (15-1 this year) ... since the start of 2008, the Bruins are 158-2 when leading after five innings and 146-2 when ahead after six (12-1 for both categories this year).
SCOUTING THE WASHINGTON HUSKIES
Washington brings a 25-10 record into this week's series and is 3-3 in Pac-12 play, winning 2-of-3 at Arizona opening week and dropping 2-of-3 at home against Oregon last weekend. The Huskies overall are hitting .334 with 34 home runs and 35 stolen bases, averaging 6.5 runs per game. During the first two weeks of conference action, Washington is batting .250 with six homers and five steals, averaging 4.0 runs per contest. Junior Victoria Hayward is the top hitter on the team with a .423 average and a team-best 15 steals, adding two homers and 16 RBI. She is also first during Pac-12 play with a .421 average. Seven other Huskies are hitting over .300 for the season. Junior Kaitlin Inglesby (.362) is first on the squad with eight homers and 41 RBI, junior Hooch Fagaly (.387) is tied for second with six homers and solo second with 33 RBI and sophomore Kimberlee Souza (.370) also has six homers and is third with 24 RBI. In the circle, Inglesby and junior Bryana Walker have split the work, although Walker has started 22 of the Huskies' 35 contests. Inglesby is 11-4 overall with a 1.60 earned run average and 66 strikeouts in 78 2/3 innings, going 3-1 in Pac-12 play with a 2.78 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 22 2/3 innings. Walker is 12-5 with a 2.43 ERA and 126 strikeouts in 109 1/3 innings overall, but has struggled through the first two weekends of Pac-12 play, going 0-2 with a 5.14 ERA and 12 strikeouts in 16 1/3 innings. Heather Tarr is in her ninth season as Washington's head coach and has a record of 344-157-1.
THE MATCHUP: BRUINS VS. HUSKIES
UCLA leads the all-time series with Washington 48-26 and won the series last year in Seattle. In game one, the Bruins trailed 5-0 in the sixth before scoring seven times and having nine straight reach base with two outs to win it 7-5. UCLA won game two 5-0 thanks to a four-hit, 10-strikeout performance by Jessica Hall. The Huskies won the final contest of the weekend 5-2. The Bruins are 21-10 all-time at home against the Huskies and won 2-of-3 in the last matchup at Easton Stadium. UCLA recorded 4-0 and 5-2 victories on April 21-22, 2011 before dropping a 4-3, nine-inning decision the next afternoon.
SCOUTING THE UTAH UTES
Utah (14-16-1) was swept at California and dropped 2-of-3 at home against Arizona last weekend, and will head to Oregon for a three-game set before hosting the Bruins. The Utes are hitting .270 overall with 16 home runs and 17 stolen bases, averaging 4.1 runs per game. During Pac-12 play, Utah is batting .244 with three homers and one steal, averaging 3.7 runs per contest. Two players are hitting over .300 for the season, as senior Kelsi Hoopiiaina is tops on the squad with a .369 average, five homers and 19 RBI. Junior Chalese Fankhauser is second with a .318 average and tied with Hoopiiaina with a team-best four steals, batting a team-high .455 during Pac-12 play. Three pitchers have seen action in at least 16 games, with freshman Kayce Nieto leading the way with a 3-4 record, a 2.81 earned run average and 20 strikeouts in 47 1/3 innings. Junior Naomi Amu is 7-6 with a 3.02 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 85 2/3 innings, while sophomore Mariah Ramirez is 4-6 with a 3.70 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 75 2/3 innings. Amy Hogue is in her sixth year at Utah and has a head coaching record of 147-153-1.
THE MATCHUP: BRUINS VS. UTES
UCLA swept its inaugural Pac-12 series with Utah last year at Easton Stadium by scores of 5-0, 11-8 and 9-1 in six innings (April 20-22). The Bruins lead the all-time series with the Utes 20-1 and have won 14 in a row. The lone victory for Utah was a 3-1 triumph on March 3, 1990 in Las Vegas. UCLA will be making its first trip to Salt Lake City since 1978, its only appearance at Utah, which resulted in a doubleheader sweep by scores of 5-0 and 8-2.
