Conference Standings in Flux as Pac-10 Foes Visit Cal

A walk-off home run against an arch-rival will always help lift a team's spirits.

Sophomore Bernice Masaniai's blast in the bottom of the seventh gave No. 21 Cal softball team a sorely needed 1-0 victory over No. 7 Stanford last Sunday at Levine-Fricke Field. The win helped the Bears (36-18, 4-8 in the Pac-10) stay afloat in the conference standings and provided a well-earned confidence boost after the team dropped its first two games against the Cardinal.

"Our coach gave us two days off," senior Katie Vickers said. "We came out with a lot of energy in practice and we hope to do the same (today)."

Cal will need all the energy it can muster if it hopes to hold its ground against No. 4 UCLA. The Bears face the Bruins today at 3 p.m., followed by No. 23 Washington on Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at noon to complete the three-game home series.

Taking on UCLA (38-5, 10-2) is a daunting task and the Bears know this from earlier in the season, when the Bruins took two straight from Cal. The latter of the two losses left a sour taste in the Bears' mouths as sophomore ace Marissa Drewrey was knocked around for five runs in a 5-0 setback.

Cal couldn't get anything going offensively against Drewrey's counterpart Anjelica Selden-a finalist for the 2008 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award-who struck out 15 and gave up just five hits.

But Vickers, who had two of those hits, said things may be different this time around with the game being played on Cal's home turf.

"There's always going to be an edge playing at home," Vickers said. "If we play our game, we can come out and beat anybody."

Drewrey may also be looking for some redemption, especially after her masterful performance against Stanford. The sophomore went the distance, surrendering just five hits while striking out 10 for her 24th win of the season.

"I'm sure we will (continue to go with Drewrey)," Vickers said. "The team has a lot of confidence in her, and I'm sure she'll do great."

While UCLA will undoubtedly be the tougher matchup, the games against the Huskies may be more crucial. The Bears fell to Washington earlier in the season, but by a narrow count of 2-1. The Huskies (25-16-1, 4-7) are neck-and-neck with Cal in both the conference and the national rankings.

"The Pac-10 is so close this year, any win we get will be beneficial," Vickers said. "We need to have a strong weekend."

The Bears will have an extra incentive to perform well on Sunday as Erika Racklin, Julie Meyer and Vickers will be honored for Senior Day. Each play a crucial role on the team with Racklin in center field and batting second, Meyer calling the shots behind the plate and Vickers anchoring the hot corner at third.

"We hope to go out with a win on our Senior Day," Vickers said. "But anybody can step up."

Specifically, Cal will look for Masaniai to continue her hot hitting. The sophomore has a hit in seven of her last eight games.

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