READY TO WIN; BRUINS CAPTURE COLLEGE SOFTBALL WORLD SERIES : UCLA 3, WASHINGTON 2.Byline: Berry Tramel Special to the Daily News Get ready, get ready. That's what UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX coach Sue Enquist told her softball team prior to the Women's College World Series The Women's College World Series (WCWS) is the final portion of the NCAA Women's Softball Tournament for college softball in the United States. The tournament is conducted in an eight-team, double-elimination format. . Get ready. The Bruins were ready. Julie Adams played sensationally with a dislocated shoulder A dislocated shoulder occurs when the humerus separates from the scapula at the glenohumeral joint. As the most maneuverable joint in the human body, the shoulder is the joint most vulnerable to dislocation. . Courtney Dale hit a mammoth home run and freshman pitcher Amanda Freed Amanda Louise Freed (born December 26, 1979 in Fountain Valley, California) is an American softball player. She attended UCLA where she played softball. The Bruins have one of the best softball traditions in the nation, having won 10 of 24 championships. held off Washington as UCLA won the national title with a 3-2 victory Monday in front of 4,472 at Hall of Fame Stadium. ``What a thrill,'' said Enquist. ``It's a great day to be a Bruin.'' UCLA has won eight NCAA NCAA abbr. National Collegiate Athletic Association softball titles, but Monday's was the first officially since 1992. UCLA's 1995 title was stripped when the NCAA ruled the Bruins used an ineligible player. UCLA missed the playoffs last year when it was placed on probation. ``It's unbelievable, the road we've traveled this year,'' Enquist said. ``We've been through a lot. In 1997, we had to start creating momentum. I couldn't be more proud. Seems like we've improved each ballgame.'' The Bruins capped an historic year. Their 63 wins set a school record for single-season victories and winning percentage. It wasn't a picnic. UCLA won four one-run games in the World Series. ``The weekend wasn't easy, all the way until the last out,'' Enquist said. ``We hate it while we're fighting through it, but I know the Pac-10 got us through it.'' Five Pac-10 teams made the eight-team World Series. ``We said, `Get ready, get ready, get ready.' '' Enquist said. ``They were really ready for one-run ballgames. Coming from behind a couple of ballgames is a credit to them buying into the plan.'' The plan Monday included jumping on the first pitches of Washington's Jennifer Spediacci. It worked well, with the Bruins scoring all three runs in the first two innings. ``She was bringing the first pitch in, so you want to think attack,'' UCLA's Adams said. Adams' first-inning single drove home Christie Ambrosi and Lyndsey Klein. In the second, Dale hit a 280-foot homer over a canopy atop the left-field bleachers. That was enough for Dale, who started and pitched four innings, and Freed to hold off the Huskies (51-18). Adams was the Series' leading hitter, going 6 for 9 despite dislocating her shoulder in the second inning of the opening game Thursday. ``Julie Adams is just a gamer,'' Enquist said. ``The world could be on her shoulders and she's going to get it done.'' When she wasn't swinging or fielding, Adams held her left arm as if it were in an invisible sling. But she said the pain was irrelevant. ``When you get to this point, it's not an issue,'' she said. ``It didn't matter to me. I'm there for my teammates. It doesn't cross your mind. Probably there's nothing could keep me off that field but (Enquist.)'' Washington rallied within 3-2 on Kim DePaul's RBI RBI abbr. Baseball runs batted in Noun 1. rbi - a run that is the result of the batter's performance; "he had more than 100 rbi last season" run batted in infield single in the seventh inning. But cleanup hitter In baseball, the cleanup hitter is the hitter who bats fourth in the lineup. Strategy Cleanup hitters often have the most power on the team and are typically the team's best all-around hitter; their job is to "clean up the bases", hence the name. Becky Newbry hit a hard grounder right at Klein at second base for the final out. Notes: Joining Adams on the All-Tournament team were Ambrosi, Dale and Freed. . . . Dale (33-1) tied Olympian Lisa Fernandez's school record for victories. . . . UCLA now has 78 national titles, more than any other school. Stanford and USC An abbreviation for U.S. Code. are next with 76 each. . . . Washington and UCLA had split four games this season. BRUIN DYNASTY By beating Washington in Monday's championship game in Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (1990 pop. 444,719), state capital, and seat of Oklahoma co., central Okla., on the North Canadian River; inc. 1890. The state's largest city, it is an important livestock market, a wholesale, distribution, industrial, and financial center, and a farm , UCLA captured its eighth NCAA College Softball College softball is softball as played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education, predominantly in the United States. College softball is played by women at the intercollegiate level, whereas college baseball is played by men. World Series title and ninth title overall. Here's a look at the Bruins' championship teams: Year Opponent Score 1978 (x) No. Colorado 3-0 1982 Fresno St. 2-0 1984 Texas A&M 1-0 1985 Nebraska 2-1 1988 Fresno St. 3-0 1989 Fresno St. 1-0 1990 Fresno St. 2-0 1992 Arizona 2-0 1999 Washington 3-2 (x) AIAW AIAW Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women title CAPTION(S): 3 Photos, Box PHOTO (1--Color) UCLA reliever Amanda Freed hugs two players, including catcher Stacey Nuveman Stacey Annette ("Nuvey") Nuveman (born 26 April 1978 in California) is a softball player at the catcher position. She is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and holds the NCAA Division I softball career record for most home runs with 91. , after the Bruins won the national softball title. (2) Julie Adams, leading hitter of the College Softball World Series, slides into second with a steal despite a dislocated shoulder. Adams made the All-Tournament team. (3--Color) The Bruins defeated Washington for their eighth College Softball World Series. Jerry Laizure/Associated Press BOX: BRUIN DYNASTY (see text) |
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