WOMEN’S SOFTBALL / COLLEGE WORLD SERIES : Fernandez Pitches 10th No-Hitter

As the end of her extraordinary collegiate career approaches, it seems as though UCLA’s Lisa Fernandez can’t pitch a softball game these days without breaking a record and then signing autographs after the game.

The four-time All-American did both again Thursday by pitching a no-hitter against Connecticut to pace the Bruins’ 3-0 victory in a first-round game of the Women’s College World Series in front of an NCAA-record crowd of 4,301 at Hall of Fame Stadium.

It was the 10th no-hitter of Fernandez’s career. She broke the previous school record of nine set by De De Weiman last season. Weiman, a senior, is redshirting this season.

Fernandez (30-1), who struck out 14 and walked two, became the eighth pitcher to throw a no-hitter in the championship series and extended her scoreless streak in the series to 44 2/3 innings, dating to the championship game in 1991.

“I don’t really consider myself to be better than anybody else,” Fernandez said. “We all have a job to do, and I just go out and do mine.”

Fernandez lost a perfect-game bid with one out in the fifth when she walked Chris Woodman. Fernandez later walked Chris Wajda in the seventh.

The top-ranked Bruins (47-3), playing in only their third game since May 2, scored two runs in the first inning, but managed only four hits off Pat Conlan (25-7).

In the first, Kathi Evans scored on an error before Jennifer Brundage’s single drove in Fernandez, who had walked.

Kristy Howard’s bunt single in the fifth scored the third run.

UCLA will play fourth-ranked Oklahoma State (49-7), a 3-0 winner over Florida State, in the second round on Saturday. Connecticut (44-13) will face Florida State (52-8) in a losers’ bracket game on Saturday morning.

Today’s first-round match-ups include Cal State Long Beach and Arizona at 4 p.m. PDT, followed by Southwestern Louisiana and Cal State Northridge at 6.