Baseball alumni and Bruins play to a draw
By Ross Bersot
Each year, head coach Gary Adams and the UCLA baseball team
welcome many former Bruins and their families for a friendly game
and a chance to congregate with one-time teammates.
Saturday’s edition at Jackie Robinson Stadium featured an
old-timers game and a softball contest for the children, but the
afternoon was highlighted by a game between UCLA and a squad of
professionals who proudly donned the blue and gold.
All-time Bruin home run leader, Torey Lovullo, started things
off in the first inning for the alumni with a one-out double to the
gap in left-center. An RBI single to right by Billy Haselman with
two outs scored Lovullo. Haselman made it home on a line-drive
double down the third-base line by Robbie Katzaroff. After
advancing Katzaroff to third on a wild pitch, UCLA pitcher Nick St.
George settled down and struck out Joel Wolfe to end the
inning.
Leading off the bottom of the first inning, Eric Byrnes grounded
a base-hit between second and third. Zak Ammirato walked and after
a fly ball out to center by Gar Vallone, Troy Glaus pulled a double
down the third-base line scoring Byrnes easily. Ammirato charged
home, sliding past the tag from Haselman.
Tied 2-2 in the top of the second with one out, Ryan McGuire
reached first on an error by third-baseman Travis Boyd. After
hitting the dirt to avoid an inside pitch by St. George, Adam
Melhuse hit into a double play to end the inning.
The score remained tied until the end of the five-inning duel as
neither team could mount an offensive threat.
Bruin reaction to taking the field against their predecessors
varied.
"It’s an honor to play with big leaguers any chance you get,"
second-baseman Chad Matoian said. "It’s something that some of us
will never be able to do again. I personally probably will never go
past UCLA, so to be on the same field and be in the same game with
people like Todd Zeile and Eric Karros even though they didn’t suit
up is a pretty exciting feeling."
Sophomore pitcher St. George approached the game like he would
any other.
"It’s nothing different, you’ve got to approach it like you
approach any game," he said. "You have to approach it like you
approach any hitter. Granted, they do capitalize on your mistakes
but you can’t think, ‘Oh no, I’m facing Torey Lovullo or Eric
Karros.’ You just have to go out there and go, ‘Hey I’m just facing
another hitter, I have to do my best.’"
Seattle Mariners second baseman Rich Amaral, a Bruin in the
1982-83 seasons, and a 1995 UCLA Baseball Hall of Fame inductee
gave the alumni perspective.
"It’s the only time that I get now since I’m away from UCLA to
come here and meet up with the guys that I played ball with and
some of the guys that played after me that I’ve gotten to know,"
Amaral said. "Just to get around and run around the baseball field
and have a good time and get to see the Bruins play. I look forward
to it every year, it’s a great experience. I’m just happy to be a
part of it.
"It’s funny because when I played here as a player it was kind
of like, ‘Oh, we’ve got the alumni game.’ We weren’t all that
excited about it. Now that I’m on the other side I can see why they
do it. It’s so important for the alumni to stay involved with the
program."
The experience of having his former players come back for the
alumni game is rewarding for Adams, which makes it special every
year.
"It’s wonderful. It’s good to have them come back," Adams said.
"It’s my chance to see all the former players that played for me.
It’s a wonderful feeling, I mean these guys are my family. I
coached just about every one of them and it’s just thrilling. I
love it. It’s my favorite day of the year. It’s like my
Christmas."