These Bruins Are Trying to Script a Happy Ending : Softball: After disappointing loss in 1991 NCAA title game, UCLA believes it can win it all this season.

UCLA softball pitcher Heather Compton has fond memories of the 1990 NCAA championships.

In the final game, she shut out Fresno State, 2-0, as the Bruins won their third consecutive national title for Coach Sharron Backus. The game was played over two days because of rain delays.

Compton’s remembrances of the 1991 NCAA final, however, are not as fond. She gave up four hits and three earned runs in 3 2/3 innings as Arizona won, 5-1, and prevented UCLA from winning its fourth national championship in a row.

Backus’ teams have won seven NCAA championships, and she has the Bruins off to an 18-0 start and No. 1 ranking this season, but she also wants to forget last year’s final. She had Compton pitch against the Wildcats after she had pitched 13 innings earlier in the day in UCLA’s 5-1 victory over Fresno State.

“A lot of people said I was pitching (against Arizona) on pure adrenaline, and adrenaline can only take you so far,” Compton said.

In retrospect, Backus said she probably should have started either Lisa Fernandez, who was selected as the nation’s top college softball player, or Deanna Weiman.

But Backus said that Fernandez “had played a very rugged game at third base all afternoon,” and that Weiman had a virus toward the end of the season and “did not regain her strength,” for the College Series. In UCLA’s seven NCAA playoff games, Weiman’s only pitching appearance came in an 11-inning, 1-0 victory over Cal State Long Beach. In that game, Weiman pitched nine innings.

Injuries also slowed the Bruins in the series. UCLA starting catcher Erica Ziencina broke an ankle during the season and was replaced by Kerry Dienelt, a first baseman who had not played catcher in years. Infielder Missy Phillips played with a soft cast on a hand because of a fracture she had suffered earlier.

But those troubles are in the past for Compton, Fernandez, Weiman--all juniors--and Backus and Dienelt, who is a coaching assistant this season.

The addition of five freshmen who have earned starting berths this season have helped the upperclassmen distance themselves from last season. The freshmen are center fielder Kathy Evans, catcher Cindy Valero, designated hitter Janae Deffenbaugh, first baseman-catcher Joanne Alchin (who, like Dienelt, is from Australia) and right fielder-second baseman Jennifer Brundage.

“This year is an entirely different situation,” Backus said. “I approach it that way and probably most of the kids do too. Even in the years we won, there wasn’t anything that we did (the year before) that we were going to try and do (the following year). Every year is different; there are too many variables.”

But one factor remains the same: the strength of the UCLA pitching staff. Although Backus has had strong pitching combinations in her 17 years at UCLA, Compton, Fernandez and Weiman are probably the best threesome.

Compton’s older sister Tracy teamed with Debbie Doom from 1982-85 when the Bruins won three NCAA titles. Backus rates that twosome with Karen Andrews and Jan Jeffers, who pitched together in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Tracy holds several school records, including three no-hit games in a season, which she shares with several players, including Doom, Fernandez and Weiman, who has accomplished the feat twice.

Tracy Compton had the best earned-run average in a season (0.04) and best ERA in a career (0.18). She also won 87.8% of her games to set another school record.

Heather appears to rank favorable with Tracy. As a freshman, Heather was 18-1 and had an ERA of 0.36. She trailed only Lisa Longaker for most victories and was second to Fernandez in ERA. Heather had 13 shutouts and went 62 innings without allowing a run.

In 1991, she had a streak of 68 innings without allowing an earned run and pitched a perfect game against Central Michigan in the NCAA Regional. She finished 22-4 and was third in the nation with an ERA of 0.31. She led the Bruins in shutouts with 18 and was named an All-American.

Compton, a right-hander, has had to battle injuries such as soreness in her pitching shoulder and back. But she faithfully does exercises to combat the injuries.

Playing softball is not without pressure, Compton said. “But you let that just slide right off you--just wipe it off and focus on one pitch at a time.

“If (playing softball) weren’t fun, I would not be playing. I think I do it for the feeling of winning; I’m not satisfied unless we’re winning. I’m not doing it to earn my scholarship, nor for the coaches. I do it for myself and for the team.”

Compton, who is 6-0 this season, is optimistic about the Bruins’ chances.

“I love this team; it’s a fun team. We get along very well, and there is so much camaraderie it’s unbelievable.”