May 22, 2005

Recap |  Final Stats

Fullerton Head Coach Michelle Gromacki
"I feel a little different sitting here today than I felt yesterday, that's for sure. I think the only thing I have to say is I'm really proud of our ball club. (UCLA) flat out beat us in the first game, and it took a lot of courage to come back in the second game and battle through seven innings and keep a great team like that on their toes and always pushing back hard. I have to give them a whole lot of credit for coming back and coming to playing today. It was a battle all day."

Fullerton sophomore pitcher Candice Baker
(On if UCLA seemed like a different team today) "I don't know that they seemed like a different team. They are a great team all the time. They are champions, and they come to play all the time, but that doesn't mean you win all the time. You lose some and you continue to battle. So no, I don't. We had a good game yesterday that we won, and we played hard, and they played hard. I don't know that it was a totally different team."

(On UCLA pitcher Anjelica Selden): "Her ball moves regardless. Her drop ball is very effective. As long as you have a ball that moves, you're going to get batters no matter what."

UCLA Head Coach Sue Enquist
"It's exciting to be able to coach a team that loves being in the pressure cooker. They play their best softball when they're being tested. We were led by the player in the circle - Jelly's performance was so impressive. But we needed to be strong in other areas too. I feel we never played to the scoreboard. They really capitalized on their opportunities."

"I think this team loves to lead. They have a tendency to gain momentum. I really have to tip my cap to Fullerton. They have tremendous athletes on their team. It was a battle. It was great softball to watch."

(On riding Selden in the playoffs): "We're a two-pitcher team. We go one game at a time, and our players know that. It will be a factor in this tournament before it's over."

(On Selden) "She is a quick study. It says a lot about her character for her to be able to be humiliated and come back so decisively late in the game. She has ice in her veins. That will be great for her experience."

"The teams that have that leadership along with the talent have a tendency to go very far. It's going to come down to timely hitting because when you get to the end, the good pitching ends up facing each other. The .350 hitting team isn't going to hit .350. They're going to have to clutch up. We really don't scare anyone on paper."

UCLA pitcher Anjelica Selden
"Since I've been through a lot of pressure situations, I'm getting used to it and not letting anything affect me. On the mental part of the game, I try to stay positive and just breathe and try to focus on the next batter and not dwell on things."

"Yesterday I was so disappointed in myself, but I told myself tomorrow would be a new day, not only physically but mentally. I needed to just go out there and stay poised in this situation and not let anything affect me. I definitely felt like I had something to prove."

UCLA shortstop Jodie Legaspi
"Our game plan was to play every pitch pitch-by-pitch."

"We've had our ups and down throughout the season, but at this point it's going to work to our advantage. No matter what happens, we've got this in our basket."

UCLA catcher Emily Zaplatosch
"It was fun to go out and do what we can do as a team. It was definitely a fun day."