NCAA SOFTBALL : Fernandez Zeros In Again and UCLA Wins, 4-0

Fielding a young lineup, UCLA relied on its veteran pitchers all season, and it was more of the same Thursday in the first round of the NCAA Division I softball tournament at Oklahoma City.

Lisa Fernandez pitched a one-hitter for her 19th shutout of the season as the Bruins defeated Massachusetts, 4-0. Bruin pitchers have 36 shutouts in 52 games.

Fernandez (26-0), who also drove in a run and scored one, struck out 10 and walked none. She has pitched 46th consecutive shutout innings.

“She was in complete control the whole game,” UCLA Coach Sharron Backus said.

It was 1-0 in the sixth inning when UCLA (50-2) broke the game open with three runs. Fernandez and Yvonne Gutierrez singled home runs and Fernandez later scored on a passed ball.

“It was late, but we finally came around and made some good contact,” Backus said.

UCLA took a 1-0 lead in the third when Joanne Alchin singled against Holly Aprile (16-4) for the first hit of the game. Alchin was sacrificed to second by Kelly Inouy, took third an infield out and scored on a wild pitch.

Aprile gave up five hits, walked two and struck out one in six innings. Massachusetts, which was seeded eighth, is 37-15.

The top-seeded Bruins were No. 1 all season in the NCAA poll. They have won six national championships since the tournament began in 1982. Last year, UCLA lost the tournament final to Arizona, 5-1.

Seventh-seeded Cal State Long Beach (39-30) faces second-seeded Arizona (55-5) today.