I've just learned via the CSTV Gametracker that UCLA frosh shortstop Monica Harrison has just homered in the bottom of the seventh to give the Bruins a 2-1 victory over Arizona. The Wildcats' Sam Banister had hit a two-out homer in the top of the seventh to tie the game 1-1.

Update: Here's an article on the UCLA win.

Meanwhile, Arizona State blanked Washington 3-0 up in Seattle. This sets up a pair of games in Los Angeles, one each Saturday and Sunday, between the Sun Devils (15-1) and Bruins (14-2), with first place in the Pac 10 at stake. Unlike the other top softball conferences, the Pac 10 does not have a conference tournament. Thus, while the other conferences are having their tournaments next weekend, UCLA will be closing out its regular season at the Oregon schools, whereas ASU will be hosting the northern California schools.

Flores progresses for Bulldogs

BIG RAPIDS, Mich. – Beginning her college softball career at Ferris State University, last season as a freshman, proved a yearlong learning experience of what it takes to compete at the Division II level.

That learning experience was and continues to be an ongoing process for Rhea Flores who has had a chance to see up close and personal what it takes to succeed as a college softball student-athlete. In the end, it mostly comes down to a formula of hard work and fundamentals. A solid base of fundamentals generally is a portion of a hungry student-athlete’s prescription for success – in softball, or for that matter, any other sport. Flores, who is a sophomore on Ferris’ roster, certainly is hopeful her off-season dedication continues to pay dividends. The hard-throwing Flores’ approach to softball competition, this spring, has been to stay positive and work hard to capitalize on openings that present themselves on the diamond.

After playing sparingly, last spring as a rookie, Flores has worked her way into Ferris’ lineup a little more regularly. That mostly has been due to her rediscovered proficiency swinging the bat. Flores entered this week batting .371 with 13 hits in 35 at bats for the Bulldogs. As part of those numbers, she has stroked three doubles, two home runs and driven in six runs as a solid stick in Ferris’ suddenly-potent offensive batting lineup.

“Really, I’ve just been trying to keep everything kind of simple and basic,” said Flores, whose Bulldogs entered the week’s competition 23-12 overall and in second place in the GLIAC at 13-3. “I just keep my eyes on the ball, make sure I swing (with good mechanics) and just try to put the ball in play as much as I can. I didn’t get a chance to play as much, last year, and I knew this year I was going to have my chances and the thing I really wanted to do was make sure I took advantage of my chances as much as I could.”

The 5-foot-8 Flores, a Dearborn Heights native who prepped at Southgate Anderson High School, showed signs of the hitting potential she now is beginning to realize, even as a freshman, as she batted .318 with seven hits and a home run, in just 22 at bats, for a Bulldog team that finished 31-17 and earned a spot in the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region Tournament. Even with her success hitting the ball, however, Flores was brought to Ferris for her true specialty: pitching. Making the adjustment from high school softball to the college level is not always an easy one as so many pitchers quickly discover. Flores, who throws a drop, changeup and fastball, is making a steady progress she hopes will continue to pay dividends.

“It’s a tough adjustment to make and I’ve put in a lot of work changing from 40 feet to 43,” said Flores, who was saluted by head coach Keri Becker for her improved control and command of pitches entering her sophomore season – in addition to her hitting improvements. “I spent a lot of time in the summer, between my freshman and sophomore years, working on a lot of little things … my mechanics to try and strengthen that up to make sure I’m making progress from my first year to my second year. I just want to keep getting better and I want to keep improving.”

Ferris State Takes Aim At Wide-Open League Tournament

BIG RAPIDS – In a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Softball Tournament that appears up for grabs, considering at least five teams are confident about their chances, Ferris State University enters with optimism and hunger.

Friday, the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Softball Championship Tournament begins at Emerson Park in Midland. The No. 2-seeded Bulldogs’ first-round foe is Mercyhurst, the No. 7 seed in the event. The first pitch is scheduled for 10 a.m. (EDT) in that contest. In other first-round competition, top-seeded Wayne State, the 22nd-ranked team in the nation, faces No. 8 Gannon, at noon; No. 4 seed Ashland goes up against No. 5 Grand Valley State, at noon; and No. 3 Saginaw Valley State faces archrival Northwood, the No. 6 seed, at 10 a.m.

Are there any favorites in this tournament field?

Yes, there are at least four to five teams talented enough and confident enough to believe they can walk away with the league championship and a bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament.

“The thing about this tournament is we know it’s going to be a wide-open one,” Ferris head coach Keri Becker said as her team ended the regular season with a 27-14 record overall as the Bulldogs tied for first-place in the GLIAC at 16-4 with Wayne State. “When you’re coming into a tournament like this you know it’s going to be an event where anybody can win and there is not going to really be an upset.”

Ferris hopes to continue its red-hot hitting led by junior first baseman Amanda Jager, who is the fourth-leading hitter in the league batting .378. Jager is leading the GLIAC in slugging percentage at .658, walks with 21 and on-base percentage at .496. Also batting above the .300 level this spring, for Ferris, are Rhea Flores (.375), a pitcher; Amanda Harrington (.359), who starts regularly at second base; Sarah Mueller (.339), a pitcher and utility player; Katie Kraai (.311), the Bulldogs’ starting third baseman; and Brooke Lewis (.300), who has had limited at bats, but has been effective at times when she has had her chances.

Defensively, it starts with the pitching. Ferris has relied heavily on the dependable combination of Mueller and Holly Bruntjens to handle the duties in the circle throughout the season. Mueller boasts a record of 13-5 this spring with a 1.60 earned run average to complement 52 strikeouts. Bruntjens owns a 10-7 record with a 2.32 ERA and has fanned 56 batters.

Beginning Friday, Ferris faces its first big exam. This weekend will be a test to see if the Bulldogs can be consistent with hitting and put together the total package it will take to get hot during the course of the three-day tournament to win the league’s championship. To make that happen, however, Ferris will need to smooth out its roller-coaster ride for a smoother and more consistent journey toward what it hopes is a tournament championship and the GLIAC’s bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament.