Cal takes day 2, game from Huskies

Monday's Pac-10 softball action began with the bases loaded, two outs and California's strongest hitter stepping to the plate. The Bears trailed 2-1 but needed just two more batters to score all the runs they would need.

Cal first baseman Veronica Nelson singled, scoring two, and catcher Courtney Scott cleared the bases with a home run.

In a game that spanned more than 24 hours from the first pitch to the last, No. 4 California (5-9 Pac-10, 48-10 overall) prevented the season-series sweep by the Huskies (7-7, 33-18), who lost their first game in five tries.

"[Yesterday, it came] down to a pitch on a 2-2 count that could have gone either way," said coach Teresa Wilson.

The count was on Nelson. UW freshman ace Tia Bollinger started day two of the game that was postponed a day because of rain and her fifth pitch was called ball three. Nelson's two-RBI single ensued on the next pitch.

"Tia went out and did a good job," Wilson said. "You can't give Nelson anything fat. Tia didn't; she painted the black and she didn't get the call to go her way. Another time that pitch may get called a looking third strike, we're out of the inning and we probably win that game."

Scott's home run, her first of the year, was clearly aided by a strong wind heading out to left field. Bollinger settled down the rest of the way, giving up just one single and striking out five.

"We needed to get out of the inning and it just didn't work out that way," Bollinger said. "It's a difficult situation to come into, but I'm not going to make any excuses. It just didn't work out."

Shannon Walsh, who pitched all 2.2 innings Sunday afternoon (4-13), took the loss, accounting for four of the six earned runs.

The Husky bats were quieted on day two by Cal hurler Jen Deering (4-0), who made just her third start of the year and first in the Pac-10 Sunday and finished the UW off Monday. She scattered nine hits and struck out seven, giving up just two earned runs.

The UW's only real threat on the second day came in the seventh. With one out, catcher Amy Hanson singled and centerfielder Rita Roach reached on an error, followed by a Becky Simpson single that loaded the bases. Leftfielder Kelly Hauxhurst sacrificed pinch runner Tracey Tawney home to bring up clean-up hitter Jaime Clark, who represented the tying run. She swung and missed on a 1-2 count and the Bears secured the victory.

The Huskies remain home for a showdown with No. 2 UCLA Wednesday.