LOS ANGELES — It wasn’t the abundance of missed opportunities that cost the Long Beach State softball team a victory on Friday against No. 5 UCLA.
LBSU (16-14) bared witness as the Bruins closed the door with eight runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to trounce the 49ers, 11-3, in front of 254 spectators at Easton Stadium.
Down 3-2 in the sixth inning, Beach freshman Nalani St. Germain drew a walk against Bruins pitcher Megan Langenfeld (4-1), who started the game at first base before relieving starter Donna Kerr.
St. Germain eventually crossed the plate to tie the game at 3-3, following a RBI-single to left center field by Christina Schallig.
Schallig went 2-for-2 on the day, with an RBI and run scored.
“We were really excited,” Schallig said referring to the moment LBSU tied the game. “I believe we have a chance against any team and that last inning didn’t even feel real.”
The last inning Schallig referred to was the bottom half of the sixth, when the Bruins went on a scoring rampage.
UCLA (22-4) batted through its lineup, hammering out eight runs, before the game ended in the bottom of the sixth with the eight-run rule.
“We should’ve got out of the inning,” sophomore pitcher Taylor Petty said. “I struck the girl out but there was a passed ball. I got a little frustrated and it got to me.”
Petty (6-8) took the loss in the circle, giving up eight runs on six hits in 2.0 innings of relief.
The 49ers loaded the bases in the first inning, but came up empty as Liz Javier was called out on the infield fly rule. St. Germain was thrown out at the plate by Langenfeld to end the inning.
The Bruins took a 1-0 lead after B.B. Bates tagged up on a fly ball to left field in the bottom of the first.
LBSU threatened in the third, loading the bases once again, but failed to push a run across. The Beach stranded runners in every inning for a total of 11 in the contest.
“We had great opportunities to score some runs and take control of the game,” Beach head coach Kim Sowder said. “We did a good job of getting the runners on base, but unfortunately, we didn’t come through.”
UCLA added two runs in the fourth when Andrea Harrison knocked a home run out of the park with a runner aboard.
LBSU junior hurler Brooke Turner was called for the same number of illegal pitches (11) as base runners the 49ers left stranded. Turner, who received the start for The Beach, gave up two runs on five hits and struck out four in 3.2 innings.
“At this point, I’m just trying to over exaggerate it because I feel that once the umpires get on you, they’re looking at it the whole game,” Turner said.
Sowder said she isn’t too concerned about the number of illegal pitches that have been called so far this season.
“Obviously we are going to have to make a real quick adjustment with our pitching staff to get it under control,” Sowder said. “We’ll try to figure it out. That’s all we can do.”
LBSU returns to the 49er Softball Complex on Tuesday, March 30 for a 2 p.m. matchup against San Diego State.