Weather Strikes With UCLA Ahead

UCLA held a 3-0 lead over top-seeded Washington when lighting within the metro area resulted in the suspension of the Women’s College World Series winners’ bracket game in the bottom of the fifth inning Friday night at Don Porter Hall of Fame Stadium.

The game will resume today at 9 a.m. CDT barring any further weather complications. Rain fell late in the evening and a slight chance of rain is forecast for today. The Oklahoma-Southern Mississippi game also was rescheduled for today.

NCAA officials called the game with Washington’s Jenny Topping at bat with a 3-0 count during an intentional walk by UCLA pitcher Amanda Freed. An estimated 6,000 spectators were evacuated from the stadium without incident.

Cindy Masner, chairman of the Division I softball committee, said information gathered from the National Weather Service along with news reports around the city warranted the decision. A tornado warning also had been issued but it was later downgraded to a watch.

“We got some information that it would be in our best interest to clear the facility,” Masner said. “We reviewed all the pieces of information and we did what we felt was best.”

UCLA Coach Sue Enquist said there was no reason to question the decision.

“This city has been through a lot,” Enquist said. “We didn’t know what was going on until they called it. But this is the best thing to do.”

Oklahoma Coach Patty Gasso agreed, recalling the May 3, 1999, tornado that killed 44 people in and around Moore, a suburb of Oklahoma City.

“I know that it’s hard [to call it] especially with the game in progress,” Gasso said. “After having experienced what happened last year, it’s the right thing to do.”

Washington had been mounting a rally at the time of the postponement. Rosie Leutzinger drew a walk from Freed and Kim DePaul singled one out later.

Topping worked a 2-0 count and UCLA opted to put the power-hitting catcher on base. Freed threw one ball to catcher Julie Marshall and was prepared to throw another when the game was called.

UCLA grabbed a 1-0 lead on some daring baserunning. Tairia Mims singled Lyndsey Klein to third. As Washington players gathered around the pitching circle, Klein realized that the Huskies hadn’t called timeout and raced home untouched.

Klein then hit a 250-foot two-run homer in the third, her third in three games.