The NCAA News - News and Features

June 2, 1997

Short and sweet

Explosive Arizona needs just five innings to put away I softball final

Mercy, no mas, uncle -- whatever you want to call the official way to say enough's enough in women's softball -- it never had happened in a Division I Women's Softball Championship title game.

But with five innings gone May 26 in the Women's College World Series championship game in Oklahoma City, Arizona had the eight-run lead it needed for umpires to stop the contest and give the Wildcats a 10-2 win over UCLA.

It was the Wildcats' second straight championship.

Arizona, which finished the season 61-5, pounded out 11 hits and drew five walks off UCLA star pitcher Christa Williams to build a 6-0 lead going into the bottom of the second inning.

The Bruins, who finished 49-14, showed some life in their half of that stanza as Julie Adams and Julie Marshall hit back-to-back home runs, but that was all Wildcat pitcher Nancy Evans would surrender.

The Arizona hurler, who sat out all last season with a broken foot, made up for lost time this series, earning most outstanding player honors both with pitching and her first-inning, bases-loaded double in the final. She finished the year 36-2 after tossing all 40 Arizona series innings.

"I think people who work hard and do the right things will have their moments," said Arizona coach Mike Candrea, who led his team to its fifth title in the last seven years. "You pull for her to have moments like this.

"I can't believe her tenacity all week. That takes a special person."

Times had changed quite a bit -- if not the results -- since a meeting between Arizona and UCLA three days earlier in the tournament. The Wildcats needed 14 innings in that game to break a scoreless tie and give Evans, who tossed a five-hitter, the victory. UCLA's Williams, who led the series in strikeouts with with 46, also was dominating, giving up nine hits and whiffing 10 batters.

While Evans ruled the mound with a 4-1 record and a 1.58 earned-run average, teammate Leah O'Brien led the series in batting average (.600), RBIs (six) and hits (nine). O'Brien made a killing in the four Division I championship series in which she has played, batting .563 with two home runs, 12 runs and 19 RBIs in 18 games.

Evans and O'Brien were joined on the all-tournament team by fellow Wildcat Alison Johnsen, who scored a series-high six runs. UCLA representatives were Williams, Stacey Nuveman and Lalleah Poulson. Other members were Washington's Jamie Graves and Sara Pickering; Fresno State's Nina Lindenberg; Michigan's Melissa Gentile; Iowa's Christy Hebert; and Masschusetts' Danielle Henderson.

A crowd of 4,684 watched the championship game, pushing the 15-game total attendance to a record 25,694.

Arizona and UCLA have met in five of the last seven championship games. One or the other has won the championship every year since 1967, although the Bruins' 1995 championship has been vacated.

Game No. 1

Massachusetts -- 000 -- 100 -- 00 -- -- 1 -- 5 -- 0

Arizona -- 100 -- 000 -- 01 -- -- 2 -- 5 -- 0

Danielle Henderson and Kelly Buckley; Nancy Evans and Leah Braatz. HR -- Sam Cardenas (Massachusetts). W -- Evans. L -- Henderson.

Game No. 2

UCLA -- 000 -- 000 -- 02 -- -- 2 -- 7 -- 1

Fresno St. -- 000 -- 000 -- 00 -- -- 0 -- 3 -- 1

Christa Williams and Stacey Nuveman; Amanda Scott and Catalina Chavez. W -- Williams. L -- Scott.

Game No. 3

Michigan -- 000 -- 200 -- 0 -- -- 2 -- 7 -- 1

Iowa -- 000 -- 020 -- 1 -- -- 3 -- 9 -- 0

Kelly Holmes and Jennifer Smith; Debbie Bilbao and Brandi Macias. HR -- Melissa Gentile (Michigan). W -- Bilbao. L -- Holmes.

Game No. 4

Washington -- 000 -- 330 -- 0 -- -- 6 -- 9 -- 1

South Caro. -- 000 -- 000 -- 0 -- -- 0 -- 5 -- 2

Jamie Graves and Jami Nyblod; Trinity Johnson and Carrie Elliott. HR -- Leanne Rosser (Washington). W -- Graves. L -- Johnson.

Game No. 5

Arizona -- 000 -- 000 -- 000 -- 000 -- 02 -- 2 -- 9 -- 2

UCLA -- 000 -- 000 -- 000 -- 000 -- 00 -- 0 -- 5 -- 3

Nancy Evans and Leah Bratz; Christa Williams and Stacey Nuveman. W -- Evans. L -- Williams.

Game No. 6

Iowa -- 001 -- 000 -- 0 -- -- 1 -- 5 -- 2

Washington -- 101 -- 021 -- x -- -- 5 -- 6 -- 2

Debbie Bilbao and Brandi Macias; Jennifer Spediacci, Jamie Graves (3) and Jami Nyblod. W -- Graves. L -- Bilbao.

Game No. 7

Fresno St. -- 002 -- 000 -- 0 -- -- 2 -- 4 -- 0

Massachusetts -- 100 -- 000 -- 0 -- -- 1 -- 4 -- 3

Lindsay Parker and Catalina Chavez; Danielle Henderson and Kelly Buckley. W -- Parker. L -- Henderson.

Game No. 8

South Caro. -- 000 -- 000 -- 0 -- -- 0 -- 3 -- 1

Michigan -- 000 -- 001 -- x -- -- 1 -- 4 -- 0

Trinity Johnson and Carrie Lyons; Kelly Holmes and Jennifer Smith. W -- Holmes. L -- Johnson.

Game No.9

Fresno St. -- 000 -- 400 -- 3 -- -- 7 -- 12 -- 0

Iowa -- 101 -- 040 -- 0 -- -- 6 -- 12 -- 2

Amanda Scott, Lindsay Parker (3), Kim Peck (5) and Catalina Chavez; Jenny McMahon, Debbie Bilbao (3), Leticia Castellon (7) and Tammy Utley, Brandi Macias, Lyn Nance. HR -- Utley (Iowa), Brandi Macias (Iowa). W -- Peck. L -- Bilbao.

Game No. 10

UCLA -- 000 -- 232 -- 0 -- -- 7 -- 9 -- 0

Michigan -- 010 -- 001 -- 1 -- -- 3 -- 6 -- 2

B'Ann Burns, Christa Williams (4) and Stacey Nuveman; Kelly Holmes, Jamie Gillies (7) and Jennifer Smith. HR -- Melissa Gentile (Michigan). W -- Burns. L -- Holmes. S -- Williams.

Game No. 11

Arizona -- 000 -- 000 -- 0 -- -- 0 -- 3 -- 1

Fresno St. -- 001 -- 002 -- x -- -- 3 -- 5 -- 0

Nancy Evans and Leah Braatz; Amanda Scott and Catalina Chavez. HR -- Nina Lindenberg (Fresno St.), Amanda Scott (Fresno St.). W -- Scott. L -- Evans.

Game No. 12

Washington -- 200 -- 100 -- 0 -- -- 3 -- 7 -- 1

UCLA -- 000 -- 013 -- x -- -- 4 -- 4 -- 0

Jamie Graves and Jami Nyblod; Christa Williams and Stacey Nuveman. HR -- Nuveman (UCLA), Julie Adams (UCLA). W -- Williams. L -- Graves.

Game No. 13

Fresno St. -- 101 -- 100 -- 0 -- -- 3 -- 8 -- 3

Arizona -- 002 -- 022 -- x -- -- 6 -- 8 -- 0

Amanda Scott, Lindsay Parker (5), Kim Peck (6) and Catalina Chavez; Nancy Evans and Leah Braatz. HR -- Chavez (Fresno St.), Alison Johnsen (Arizona), Leah O'Brien (Arizona). W -- Evans. L -- Scott.

Game No. 14

UCLA -- 000 -- 001 -- 0 -- -- 1 -- 3 -- 1

Washington -- 000 -- 000 -- 0 -- -- 0 -- 4 -- 1

Christa Williams and Stacey Nuveman; Eve Gaw, Jamie Graves (6) and Jami Nyblod. W -- Williams. L -- Gaw.

Championship game

Arizona -- AB -- R -- H -- RBI -- PO -- A

Allison Johnsen, cf -- 3 -- 2 -- 2 -- 0 -- 4 -- 0

Katie Swan, dh -- 4 -- 3 -- 2 -- 0 -- 0 -- 0

Leah O'Brien, 1b -- 2 -- 2 -- 2 -- 2 -- 5 -- 1

Nancy Evans, p -- 3 -- 0 -- 1 -- 3 -- 0 -- 2

Lety Pineda, 3b -- 4 -- 0 -- 1 -- 1 -- 0 -- 1

Lisa Pitt, ss -- 3 -- 0 -- 0 -- 0 -- 1 -- 1

Brandi Shriver, rf -- 3 -- 0 -- 2 -- 0 -- 1 -- 0

Julie Reitan, lf -- 2 -- 2 -- 1 -- 0 -- 1 -- 0

Michelle

Churnock, 2b -- 0 -- 0 -- 0 -- 0 -- 0 -- 1

Totals -- 25 -- 10 -- 11 -- 7 -- 15 -- 6

UCLA -- AB -- R -- H -- RBI -- PO -- A

Christie

Ambrosi, cf -- 3 -- 0 -- 0 -- 0 -- 1 -- 0

Laurie Fritz, 2b -- 2 -- 0 -- 0 -- 0 -- 2 -- 1

Johnna Mike, ph -- 1 -- 0 -- 0 -- 0 -- 0 -- 0

Alleah Poulson, 1b -- 3 -- 0 -- 0 -- 0 -- 2 -- 1

Stacey Nuveman, c -- 2 -- 0 -- 1 -- 0 -- 9 -- 0

Julie Adams, ss -- 2 -- 1 -- 1 -- 1 -- 1 -- 2

Julie Marshall, 3b -- 2 -- 1 -- 1 -- 1 -- 0 -- 1

Courtney Dale, lf -- 2 -- 0 -- 0 -- 0 -- 0 -- 0

Kim Wuest, dh -- 1 -- 0 -- 0 -- 0 -- 0 -- 0

Nicole Ochoa, rf -- 2 -- 0 -- 2 -- 0 -- 0 -- 0

Christa Williams, p -- 0 -- 0 -- 0 -- 0 -- 0 -- 1

Totals -- 20 -- 2 -- 5 -- 2 -- 15 -- 6

Arizona -- -- 240 -- 04 -- -- 10 -- 11 -- 0

UCLA -- -- 020 -- 00 -- -- 2 -- 5 -- 2

E -- Fritz, Nuveman. LOB -- Arizona 8, UCLA 4. 2B -- Evans. HR -- Adams, Marshall. SH -- Johnsen, Reitan

-- IP -- H -- R -- ER -- BB -- SO

Evans (Winner) -- 5.0 -- 5 -- 2 -- 2 -- 1 -- 3

Williams (Loser) -- 5.0 -- 11 -- 10 -- 8 -- 5 -- 7

WP -- Williams. CI -- Nuveman. U -- Vavrinec, Murdock, Yarranton. T -- 1:54. A -- 4,684.