UCLA 6 Pepperdine 5
By Scott Bair
Daily Bruin Contributor
MALIBU, Calif. “”mdash; Some people call them the UCLA Bruin
baseball team. Those who were in attendance for Tuesday’s 6-5
victory over the Pepperdine Waves would call them the cardiac
kids.
“As long as we can stay close, this team can always smell
victory,” Bruin Head Coach Gary Adams said.
The game started at 2 p.m., but the drama didn’t start
until the top of the ninth inning with the Bruins trailing 5-4.
Sophomore Ben Francisco ignited the Bruin rally with a one-out base
hit. Then designated hitter Brian Baron and left fielder Adam Berry
matched each other with back-to-back doubles, driving in the tying
and winning runs for UCLA.
“I was just trying to fight and put the ball in
play,” Baron said of driving in the tying run.
For as well as the Bruins ended the game, it didn’t start
out that way. Bruin pitcher Wade Clark struggled through his first
start of the season, giving up three runs in just two innings of
work.
Walks plagued Bruin pitching during the game. They gave up 10
walks during the game, including two in the first inning alone.
“Our pitchers have to go after guys more,” Adams
said. “We can’t walk them.”
Clark’s two-out walk to senior first baseman Jared Pitney
was the catalyst for Pepperdine’s three-run outburst in the
bottom of the first. The Waves capitalized on the free passes from
Clark with consecutive hits from third baseman Ed Montague and
catcher Rock Mills, who combined to drive in the three runs.
While their offense was kicking, Pepperdine starting pitcher
Eric Valenzuela used his overhand curveball to hold the Bruin bats
to a lone run through the first six innings.
Valenzuela started to tire in the seventh, and the Bruins took
full advantage. The offensive charge was led by Francisco, who
smashed home two runs on one swing when he drove the ball into the
palm trees behind the center field wall to bring the Bruins within
one run. UCLA manufactured the tying run when senior Eric Reece
grounded out to bring Baron home from third base.
Although the Bruin offense won the game, the bullpen kept them
in it. Five Bruin relievers bought the offense some time, allowing
only two runs over seven innings.
“Our relief pitchers have been one of the pluses for our
team this year,” Adams said.
But they gave many of the coaches, as well as the Bruin
faithful, cardiac arrests in the process.
In the bottom of the ninth with one out and the bases full of
Waves, sophomore reliever Doug Silva entered the game. Silva got
blue-chip pro prospect Danny Garcia out on a line shot grabbed by
shortstop Preston Griffin. Silva then used a split fingered
fastball that landed in the dirt to fool a swinging Pitney for the
third strike and to seal the Bruin victory.
As the fans settled down, left fielder Adam Berry put the game
in perspective.
“We’re learning late in the game,” he said.
“But it’s great to know that even in that situation, we
can come back and win.”