Another Fast Start for Bruins

UCLA’s softball team has appeared in three consecutive NCAA championship games, and the Bruins, with a 17-1 start, are ranked No. 1 this year.

They won their first 16 games before Long Beach State ended the streak in the first game of a nonconference doubleheader Saturday. The most impressive victories were 7-0 over No. 4-ranked Louisiana State, and 6-1 and 11-2 over No. 12 Nebraska.

Pitchers Amanda Freed and Keira Goerl have dominated, and the Bruins are averaging 8.6 runs, batting .415 and have 21 home runs. Senior Stacey Nuveman is batting .592 (29 for 49) with seven home runs and 29 runs batted in. She has 77 homers in her career, eight shy of the NCAA record held by Laura Espinoza and Leah Braatz, both of Arizona.

Junior shortstop Natasha Watley is batting .567 and Freed, left fielder Erin Rahn and designated hitter Claire Sua each are batting over .400. Tairia Mims’ .393 average and four home runs in the cleanup spot are allowing No. 3 hitter Nuveman to see better pitches.

“Then there’s the bottom three in our lineup, who have been real productive,” Coach Sue Enquist said. “They’ve put our top three in the lineup in position to drive in RBIs.”

Freed, a senior, has a 7-1 record and a 0.59 earned-run average. Goerl, a sophomore, is 9-0 with two no-hitters and a 0.26 ERA.

Goerl, a two-time Southern Section player of the year while at Moreno Valley Valley View High, has given up only 20 hits in 54 innings and has 83 strikeouts. “She came into this program with a huge amount of success in high school and sometimes with a player like that, there’s a tendency to be resistant to change,” Enquist said. “But she has had a go-for-it attitude ever since she got here and because of that, the game has paid her back.”

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Penn State pole vaulter Kevin Dare died from head injuries he suffered when he landed awkwardly in the pit area Saturday in the Big Ten indoor championships at Minneapolis.

The accident has Art Venegas, coach of UCLA’s men’s track and field team, calling for the use of protective helmets.

“People don’t realize that it’s that dangerous,” Venegas said. “If you stand next to the bar and see someone vault 16 or 17 feet, you realize how high they are. It’s an unfortunate risk, but there is a risk in every event out there.”

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Count San Diego Coach Brad Holland among the many who believe the Pepperdine men’s basketball team, 20-7 and co-champion of the West Coast Conference regular season, should be NCAA bound even if it doesn’t win the West Coast Conference tournament, which begins Saturday.

“They’re an NCAA team if I’ve ever seen one,” said Holland after the Toreros’ 90-79 loss to the Waves on Friday at Malibu.

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Junior forwards Jimmy Miggins and Boomer Brazzle of Pepperdine were selected first-team All-WCC in basketball. Wave guard Terrance Johnson was the conference’s freshman of the year and senior center Cedric Suitt won the defensive player-of-the-year award. Gonzaga’s Dan Dickau was the conference player of the year and Mark Few was chosen coach of the year for the second consecutive season.... Cal State Northridge center Ryan Sims has been suspended indefinitely for “conduct detrimental to the team.” The Matadors also probably will be without guard Curtis Slaughter, their second-leading scorer, for tonight’s home game against Idaho. He has a stress fracture in his right leg.... Ardeshir Asgari has resigned as Cal State Fullerton’s wrestling coach effective at the end of March. Asgari, 44, who has coached the Titans for 10 seasons, said he is moving to Nicaragua with his wife.