Brandon Johnson

During a lengthy season such as that played by the UA softball team, players will inevitably have ups and downs.

A successful turnaround after a down stretch can be the difference between a good season and a bad season.

Sophomore pitcher Jenny Gladding is one of those players who has seen her season rise, then fall, only to rise again this weekend.

While Gladding certainly didn't show her usual form in the opening series against Alabama, she battled through and got the win in her lone start.

Despite picking up the win, Gladding looked shaky throughout the game, showing uncharacteristic wildness by walking eight batters.

At the Fiesta Bowl Tournament in Tempe, she again ran into control problems against Mississippi State and Wisconsin.

Both teams' hitters worked her deep in the count, forcing her to throw a lot of pitches. In the end, she gave up 13 walks in losing efforts against both teams.

Weekends like that tend to destroy a pitcher's confidence, and Gladding could have easily let her season slide into an abyss.

Friday, Gladding came out and again had trouble early, giving up a two-run blast against Louisville in the first inning - but that was it.

The troubles ended there for Gladding, who responded by allowing just one hit after that.

She came back strong Saturday and had her best outing of the year against South Florida, allowing just one hit for the game and no runners past second base.

Her resilience in the circle, combined with an outstanding weekend at the plate, did wonders for the sophomore, who was all smiles as she talked to the media after Saturday's game.

The game may not have been against a team of Stanford's or UCLA's caliber, but that didn't matter to her.

The girls on South Florida's team were the ones she grew up playing softball with in south Florida. Beating them, in fact, did more for her confidence than a victory over, say, a team like Louisville on Friday.

She bounced back from having the most difficult weekend of her career in Phoenix a week ago and turned things around, picking up a pair of much needed wins.

The importance of those wins, though, extends beyond the personal implications for Gladding.

Being one of only two pitchers on staff puts a tremendous amount of pressure on her to perform well.

Senior Jennie Finch has been steady all year, but one pitcher alone can't win the national title for this team.

To put it mathematically, Gladding is the X in the equation for this team. Arizona needs her to perform well if they hope to make a run at the Pacific 10 Conference title and ultimately a national championship. Finch's arm is strong now, but come the end of year, she can't pitch in every game - especially against powerhouse conference opponents.

Gladding doesn't appear to be fazed by the pressure though, and as long as that continues, this team will be headed down the right road.