Freed’s 4-Hitter Lifts UCLA

Amanda Freed has six pitches, but didn’t need to use them all in UCLA’s NCAA softball regional winners’ bracket semifinal Saturday against Florida State.

The Seminoles had trouble handling any of them.

Freed pitched a four-hitter in UCLA’s 6-1 victory at Easton Stadium, helping the Bruins move to within one win of returning to the Women’s College World Series.

In the regional final today at 12:30 p.m., UCLA (42-11-1) will play Florida State, a 4-2 winner over Iowa later Saturday. If the Bruins lose, a second winner-take-all game will be played at 3 p.m.

The way the Bruins are playing, it may not come to that. They had 12 hits and played flawlessly in the field against Florida State. Third baseman Julie Adams went four for four with three runs batted in and first baseman Tairia Mims hit her eighth home run of the season.

“We had great pitch selection offensively,” UCLA Coach Sue Enquist said. “We worked the alleys really well today. We were hitting foul line to foul line . . . and when you do that, the opponent is really up against the wall in terms of how to pitch us.”

Freed (24-7) helped herself offensively, leading off the first inning with a double and scoring one of UCLA’s two first-inning runs on a wild pitch.

“Amanda has done such a terrific job of leading us in the circle and also handling the pressure of that leading spot,” Enquist said of the sophomore. “That’s a heavy load--to carry both ends of the game, offensively and defensively.”

Effectively alternating her rising fastball and vast array of off-speed pitches, Freed struck out seven and walked three. She was at her toughest in the fifth inning after Florida State (51-26) closed the gap to 4-1 on a single by Leslie Malerich that scored pinch-runner Felicia Williams.

With runners on first and second and two out, Freed got leadoff batter Staci Brandon to ground out to second base after Brandon fouled off several pitches.

Florida State second baseman Brandi Stuart was impressed with Freed but said her team should have done more offensively.

“She has a really good changeup,” Stuart said. “I’m going to give that to her . . . but it’s hittable. When you have two strikes, all you have to do is think fastball and adjust for the changeup.”

Adams singled home Natasha Watley in the first inning, singled home Crissy Buck in the fourth and doubled home Watley in the sixth. In three tournament games, she is five for eight with seven RBIs.

“I’m back,’ said Adams, who suffered a dislocated left shoulder in last year’s College World Series and had two surgeries in the off-season to repair it. “I’ve felt comfortable for a while now. The last few weeks, I’ve been hitting the ball well and they haven’t fallen in. It’s nice to see them finally fall in.”