Arizona State 2, UCLA 1

ARIZONA STATE HEAD COACH LINDA WELLS
General comment:
"Good game. The difference was we got an opportunity or two. I was in here, it seems like a couple of weeks ago but I think that it might have been today, saying we didn't take advantage earlier of our opportunities and tonight we cashed in. Missy's (Hixon) run turned out to be very important. I felt like we were seeing the ball well and swinging. I thought our pitcher did okay, too."

On batting Missy Hixon at the bottom of the order:
"I don't know. We've been doing well with (Kristin) Farber putting the ball on the ground and we've been seeing some RBI opportunities lower in the order. I think it was a genius really. I thought Hixon would have an opportunity for an RBI down there."

On the layoff from the Arizona-Arizona State game that was resumed this morning:
"I didn't feel like that at all. I stayed and watched. Time seemed to kind of fly by, really. I think you guys (her team) went out to eat and came back, which is the way you do it. You can never know about the timing. I definitely felt we were ready and that we were ready to prepare and prepared well."

ARIZONA STATE SENIOR ERICA BEACH
On the game:
"The whole game was really intense. Those are my favorite games of all because our team really gets into it. We play with a little bit of fire. As a pitcher, there were so many great defensive plays going on all night. It was fun to be in, it was fun to watch. It was a big win to be able to send someone home and be able to stay here."

On the pitch that UCLA's Nuveman hit for an RBI double:
"I actually missed my pitch. I'd been pretty successful with her this season, jamming her, not letting her get her hands out. I just let her get her hands out."

ARIZONA STATE SENIOR MISSY HIXON
On the decision to move her to the bottom of the batting order: "I told coach that if moving me down in the order was what was best for the team then I felt it would be best for the team. We need to have someone down there to get an RBI."

UCLA HEAD COACH SUE ENQUIST
General comment:
"It's disappointing that you put yourself in a position to win the ball game a number of times but just couldn't get that timely hitting when we needed it. We put people on base and rallied but came up short. As a coach you just want your team to compete and you want them to never say die. I'm proud of them. Up until that last pitch, I think everyone in this park knew we were still in it. It's just disappointing, especially for our seniors, that there will not be another opportunity. I tip my cap to ASU. They jumped on us early."

UCLA SENIOR STACEY NUVEMAN
On being eliminated from the Women's College World Series:
"We entered this week expecting to go all the way. With our championship experience we didn't expect to lose our first game. We just battled, like coach said, but unfortunately we didn't get the breaks that we've got in the past. It hurts to go out anytime you go out as a loser, it doesn't matter if it's the first game or the last game of the series. Just knowing that that is it is tough."

On Erica Beach's performance:
"She had her change-up pitch working. She was getting ahead in the count. Like coach said, she did a great job at going at us, especially when she was hurting. That shows what type of competitor she is. We didn't think she was throwing. She didn't warm up, she just walked on the field to throw the first pitch."

UCLA SENIOR AMANDA FREED
On her pitching performance:
"Well, I obviously didn't have my `A' game with me. I tried to work with what I had. Like all good teams, hitters just feed off each other and they just found some holes and got some balls through. We tried to come back but we just couldn't get that extra run. We were a little too late."

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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