May 10, 1998

Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

LOS ANGELES - In senior day at UCLA's Easton Softball Stadium it was a pair of freshmen who came through to lead the UCLA softball team to a split in today's doubleheader with No. 16 Arizona State. UCLA rookie Lupe Brambila collected both RBI in the second game to help the Bruins rebound from a 2-1 loss in game one and win the second 2-1.

Not only did Brambila drive in both runs of game two, but classmate Casey Hiraiwa scored twice to give the Bruins a win in their final game of the 1998 season. UCLA struck first in game two, scoring in the bottom of the first when Hiraiwa was driven in by Brambila's two-out single to left field. ASU knotted the score in the top of the third when UCLA pitcher Stephanie Swenson walked her only three batters of the game, including one which drove in the tying run.

The score remained tied until the bottom of the sixth when UCLA's Hiraiwa opened the inning by reaching on a fielding error and advanced to third when senior Kim Wuest doubled to center field forcing ASU to bring in game-one starter Roxanne Tsosie. Following an intentional walk of senior Nicole Odom, Brambila again came through in the clutch with an RBI-single to right field. Tsosie proceed to settle in and strike out the next three Bruin batters, but the damage had already been done as UCLA retired the Sun Devils in order in the seventh for the win.

In game one, ASU held on for the 2-1 victory after scoring twice in the first inning, but had to hold off a fifth-inning Bruin rally which cut the score in half. In that inning, UCLA centerfielder Danielle Martin beat out a lead-off single to third base. Senior Laurie Fritz followed suit with the first of her three hits of the day. The Bruins loaded the bases on an infield error, then Martin scored on a hard hit ground out to short by Odom who finishes her UCLA career with 110 RBI to rank seventh on the Bruins' all-time list.

UCLA finishes the 1998 softball season with an 18-27 overall and 8-18 Pac-10 record, earning a split in five of the last six conference doubleheaders, including three against top-20 opponents. ASU concludes the regular-season with a 37-25 overall and 9-19 Pac-10 record and awaits news of the NCAA Tournament selections.