Utah @ UCLA

[oldNlazy]

Nobody wants to be the 1st team to lose to Utah. That wasn't really a danger but the Bruins weren't exactly overpowering. In fact if the Utah coach hadn't gotten cute with the pitching rotation the score might have been much closer. (Then again things might have played out exactly the same.) All 5 UCLA runs came on HRs and they left only 3 runners on base. Hall had one of her best outings of the year giving up 2 hits and striking out 10.

UTAH 0 0 0 0 0 0 0=0-2-0

UCLA 0 0 1 0 1 3 x=5-6-1

Ramirez vs Hall

The Bruins went 4 innings without leaving a runner on base. Two double plays, a caught stealing and Tiumalu's 1st HR of the year and the Bruins were clinging to a 1-0 lead. Utah went out in order 5 of the 7 innings and only had their 1 real chance to score because of help from the UCLA defense. In the 2nd the leadoff hitter struck out but reached on a passed ball. Hall fielded Sweet's bunt cleanly but threw wild. Not only did this put runners at 2nd and 3rd it got Snow run over covering 1st. After a brief timeout she was able to continue. Hall then went to her strikeout pitch and got Clements and Bergman to end the inning.



Despite the fact that Ramirez had allowed just 1 run and 2 hits they brought in Nielsen to pitch the 5th. I'm sure their idea was, "We've kept it close. Now let's get out ace in there and maybe we can steal one." Unfortunately for them, their ace gave up 2 HRs and 4 runs in 1 1/3 innings to effectively put the game away. Camuso hit a solo shot in the 5th and Yudin a 3-run blast in the 6th. One thing Utah did was hold Stephany LaRosa hitless, a notable accomplishment these days.

[oldNlazy]

It still counts as a win but they won't be preserving the video anywhere innocent children might see it. UCLA went from a 10-0 lead to Utah having the tying on deck at game's end. Entering the 5th the Bruins had a 9 run lead needing 3 outs for a mercy win. There was no reason to get complicated. Just let Carda finish it out, she needs the work anyway. But they brought in Rodino and all he11 broke loose. Three runs in 1/3 inning gave Utah new life and though Hall got them out in the 5th she and the defense had problems in the 6th. The statistic most responsible for Carda's early depature was only 41 strikes out of 71 pitches. To make matters more troubling when Utah started scoring, UCLA stopped. But they did the job in the 1st 4 innings. The 1st 3 batters in the UCLA lineup went 6-9 with 6 runs and 8 RBIs. There were HRs by Harrison (2) and LaRosa and Schroeder, Tiumalu and Snow all chipped in with 2 hits apiece. It was a cool and foggy evening with the Bruins wearing their pink on white breast cancer awareness shirts.
Utah 0 0 0 2 3 3 0=8-10-1
UCLA2 0 8 1 0 0 x=11-11-3
Nielsen vs Carda
Carda was shaky in the 1st. Two strikeouts were overturned by IP calls and there was a single, WP and BB but she got out of the inning with no damage. The Bruins wasted no time in grabbing the lead, Schroeder singled and LaRosa left the yard just to the right of the scoreboard. Carda faced the minimum in the 2nd and 3rd and the Bruins broke it open in their half of the 3rd. Snow led off with a single, Schroeder sacrificed and reached when the 2nd baseman dropped the throw to 1st. LaRosa doubled off the RF wall for 1 run and Harrison followed with a 3-run shot to right center. Yudin and Fox walked which spelled the end for Nielsen. Amu took her place and was greeted by Tiumalu's RBI single to CF. Carda walked and Snow ripped a single under the 3rd baseman's glove for 2 more runs. Carda was out at home but Schroeder kicked in with an RBI double.

After putting up 10 goose eggs Utah finally scored in the 4th. With 1 out and 1 on, Sweet doubled over the CF's head. Holm singled in 1 run and the 2nd scored when Schroeder mishandled the ball. Harrison led off the 4th with a HR to right and the Bruins appeared on the way to a run-rule victory. Rodino took the circle and struck out the 1st hitter. But Hoopiiaina singled to LF and Palauni followed with a single of her own. When Elliott followed with a 3-run dinger Rodino was gone too. Hall momentarily restored order getting the 2 batters she faced. Dickman walked to lead off the 6th and Holm followed with a single. After a force at 3rd an E-5 scored a run and Palauni singled off the first-baseman's glove for 2 more. Elliott singled but the runner was thrown out at 3rd.

The Bruins loaded the bases in the 6th despite a strange play I've never seen before. Harrison walked and Yudin singled which brought in Ramirez to pitch. Fox popped out (see below) and Tiumalu's hit loaded the bases but Carda grounded out to end the inning. It looked like Utah might make it interesting in the 7th as a single by Dickman and a WP put a runner at 2nd. Holm ripped it just foul off the RF wall and then to the same place but not quite as far and Bates grabbed it for the final out.

[Fox popped it up toward 1st base an the fielder, perhaps spooked by the approaching Fox let it drop where it hit Fox on the heel. I've never before seen a batter hit by their own popup. The ump called IF Fly so Fox was out and it didn't matter if the ball hit her. It did create a dead ball situation and the runners had to go back to 1st and 2nd.]

[freetacos]

That was great and I don't care about either team but love the game'

fantastic job OldNlazy

ft

[oldNlazy]

It took until the 6th inning of game 3 but the Bruins finally got their mercy win over Utah 9-1. Friday night they didn't score enough, Saturday they let Utah score too much. They fell just short in the 5th inning but finally reached the magic number with 2 outs in the 6th. Along with the 10 hits the Bruins got 10 walks and Harrison and LaRosa, who had terrorized Utah pitching all week hit HRs along with BB Bates. There were again problems at the back end of the order with Fox and Tiumalu stranding 9 between them. Hall started in the circle and though she struck out only 4 she walked only 2. Carda pitched the last inning without incident.
Utah 0 0 0 1 0 0=1-5-1
UCLA 2 1 0 3 2 1=9-10-0
Ramirez vs Hall
The Bruins used the longball to score in the first getting solo shots by LaRosa and Bates. Camuso also singled and Yudin doubled but Fox flied out to end the inning. A hit batter, single by Mendenhall and a passed ball got runners to 2nd and 3rd but Hall got Cook to get out of it. Two walks and an RBI-single by Harrison spelled the end for Ramirez in the 2nd although over the series she had been Utahs most effective pitcher. Nielsen got Bates to pop up to end the inning. Elliott led off the 4th with a single, went to 2nd on a passed ball and came home on Dickman's single

Snow led off the Bruin 4th with a walk and having seen enough of LaRosa walked her on 4 pitches. Then came the pivotal moment of the game. If they can get out of the inning it's only 3-1 and the might have chance. Give up a 3-run HR to Harrison and the game is probably over. They chose door B and Harrison lined it off the right edge of the scoreboard. Two walks and Yudin's single loaded the bases and brought Amu in to get Tiumalu on a ground ball. Hoopiiaina's double, a walk and a wild pitch put runners at 2nd and 3rd in the 5th but Hall struck out Holm to end the inning. Hall also made 2 great defensive snags and accurate overhand throws to 1st and 3rd base.Snow opened the 5th with a single and LaRosa followed. Bates walked to load the bases and Camuso walked to force in a run. Yudin made it 3 BBs in a row for another run but Fox grounded out to leave the walkoff run on 3rd. In the bottom of the 6th Snow reached on an error, Schroeder doubled her to 3rd and LaRosa provided the walkoff sac fly.