March 2, 2012

UCLA-Michigan Box Score
UCLA-Fordham Box Score
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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Senior Katie Schroeder went 5-for-5 with four runs scored and three runs batted in during Friday's doubleheader, while senior Andrea Harrison posted four hits, four RBI and a homer, as the 14th-ranked Bruins beat Fordham 9-5 and lost to #15 Michigan 5-3 at the Citrus Classic.

Michigan 5, UCLA 3

The top three batters in the Bruin lineup combined for seven hits, as Schroeder went 3-for-3 and Harrison and freshman Stephany LaRosa each posted a pair of hits, but the 14th-ranked Bruins lost 5-3 to #15 Michigan in their first game at the Citrus Classic.

UCLA (11-5) had 10 hits as a team. Sophomore Jessica Hall (5-3) struck out one in 5 2/3 innings, allowing five runs (three earned), nine hits and one walk. Freshman Ally Carda faced three batters, recording an out and giving up a hit and a walk.

The Bruins scored a run in each of their first two at-bats. In the top of the first, Schroeder led off with a walk and moved to second on a single to right by Harrison. One out later, junior B.B. Bates singled to left-center to bring in Schroeder to make it 1-0.

In the second, senior Dani Yudin began with a walk and was pinch-run for by freshman Sam Duran. Carda then laid down a bunt to Steph Kirkpatrick at third, but she threw away the toss to first, allowing Duran to move to third and Carda to advance to second. One out later, Schroeder singled through the right side to bring home Duran for the Bruins' second run.

The Wolverines cut their deficit in half with a run in the bottom of the third. Amy Knapp reached on an infield single to third, moved to second on a ground out and scored on a single to right by Bree Evans to make it 2-1.

UCLA extended its lead with a run in the fifth. Schroeder led off with a slap single to third, stole second and scored on a single to right by Harrison to make it 3-1. The Bruins would load the bases on a single to right by LaRosa and a one-out single to right-center by senior Samantha Camuso. But the Wolverines got the final two outs of the inning on a fielder's choice ground out by sophomore Kellie Fox and a deep foul out to right by Yudin to end the threat.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Wolverines tied the game. Lyndsay Doyle reached on a fielding error by LaRosa at third to start the inning, and back-to-back singles by Evans and Nicole Sappingfield loaded the bases. Amanda Chidester then hit a deep fly ball to center, as Schroeder went crashing into the wall to save a grand slam, but Doyle scored on the sacrifice fly to make it 3-2. A walk to Taylor Hasselbach reloaded the bases, but Ashley Lane followed with a fielder's choice to third, as LaRosa threw to Yudin for the second out. However, a free pass to Lauren Sweet forced home Sappingfield to equal things at three.

Michigan took its first lead of the evening with a two-out rally in the bottom of the sixth. Evans singled up the middle and stole second. Sappingfield then singled to left-center, as Evans initially evaded the tag of Yudin at home, but dove back towards the plate and was safe before the second tag attempt to make it 4-3. Sappingfield took second on the throw home and that would prove to be big, as Chidester singled to left to score an insurance run for the Wolverines.

UCLA 9, Fordham 5

Carda, Harrison and LaRosa all homered in Friday's nightcap, as the 14th-ranked Bruins posted a 9-5 victory over Fordham. Carda, Harrison, Schroeder and sophomore Talee Snow each had two-hit games.

Carda (6-2) struck out four in a complete-game effort, allowing five runs (four earned), six hits and four walks. She had 1-2-3 innings in the second and third, retiring 11 in a row at one point.

In the bottom of the first, Schroeder led off with a single up the middle and Harrison hit her team-leading fifth homer of the season to center to put the Bruins on top 2-0.

In the third, UCLA (12-5) scored four times. Carda started the inning with her second homer of the year to right-center to make it 3-0. After a walk to Schroeder, Harrison doubled to the gap in right-center to bring in her fellow senior with the Bruins' fourth run. LaRosa then hit a towering fly ball down the left-field line that just stayed inside the fair pole to increase the lead to 6-0.

The Bruins added one more in the fourth. Snow led off with a single to left, but was erased at second when Hall grounded into a fielder's choice. With Duran running for Hall, Carda singled off the third-base bag and down the line, as Duran moved to third to put runners at the corners. Schroeder then singled to left-center to plate Duran with the Bruins' seventh run.

The Rams (3-8) brought two across in the sixth. Nicole Callahan and Paige Ortiz had back-to-back doubles to start things off to put Fordham on the board. One out later, Fordham scored on a fielding error by Snow to make it 7-2.

UCLA got those two runs back in the bottom of the sixth. Snow and Hall each singled to right to open the inning, but Snow would get erased at third on a fielder's choice grounder to short off the bat of Carda. After Hall and Carda moved up a base on a wild pitch, Schroeder hit a deep fly ball to center which would bring in Hall to make it 8-2. Carda, who moved to third on the sac fly, came home on an illegal pitch to increase the lead to 9-2.

In the seventh, the Rams scored three times, all with two outs. Ortiz singled in Jessica Crowley to make it 9-3, while Elise Fortier brought in Callahan and Ortiz on a double to cut their deficit to 9-5. But Carda popped up Kayla Lombardo to end the game.

The Bruins continue play at the Citrus Classic on Saturday when they face #10 Baylor at 7 a.m. PT and #17 Auburn at 9:15 a.m. PT. Both games will feature Gametracker and live updates at twitter.com/uclasoftball. In addition, the UCLA-Baylor contest will be broadcast online at ESPN3.com.