Baseball knocks UNLV out of park, takes two of three games
By Yoni Tamler
Daily Bruin Contributor
The UCLA baseball team got to University of Nevada, Las Vegas
(UNLV) pitching early and often Sunday afternoon, defeating the
Rebels 9-4 and taking two out of three games in the series.
The Bruins (2-2) jumped on UNLV starter Tista Perri, a
side-armer who clearly had problems with his control. In his
three-inning appearance, Perri walked two players and beaned
another two, while allowing UCLA’s first seven batters of the
second inning to either reach base or put the ball in play.
"We took them out of the game. We never gave them a chance to
sniff victory," UCLA head coach Gary Adams said. "Before we weren’t
throwing the knockout punch – we had people on base but we couldn’t
get them across in the middle of the game – and today we got that
monkey off our back."
Freshman Eric Valent, who recorded his first collegiate home run
with a three-run blast in the third, and senior Zak Ammirato paced
the Bruins through the first half of the game. The two Bruins
combined for five hits and seven RBIs as UCLA scored in each of the
second, third and fourth innings of play.
"I probably had my best game today so far," said Valent, the
only starting freshman on the team. "But I’m not going to try to
live up to any expectations. I’m just going to come in and help
play consistently."
UCLA’s seven-run lead following the fourth proved too much for
UNLV, and the Bruins cruised to victory. Sophomore Jim Parque (1-0)
recorded the win, while Ryan O’Toole, Nick St. George, Dan Keller
and Matt Klein pitched one inning a piece.
"Our fundamentals kept getting better each game of this series,"
Adams said. "Today we didn’t make the mental errors we made in the
previous games. We played the way we want to play."
On Saturday rain forced the two teams to convene at Palm Springs
Municipal Stadium, where the Bruins prevailed, 6-2. Sophomore Pete
Zamora collected his first decision of the year, a win, with junior
Kevin Sheredy earning the team’s first save on just three
pitches.
In Friday’s series opener, the Bruins dropped the game in the
10th inning on a bases-loaded single by UNLV’s Zac Miller. Junior
pitcher Ryan Lynch was impressive in his first start, holding the
Rebels to just one run over five and one-thirds innings of
work.
The Bruins put the tying run at the plate twice in the bottom of
the 10th, but Rob Luce fanned Troy Glaus and Valent to end the
game.
"We’ve got to do a better job of competing against the other
team’s top pitching," Adams said, after UCLA scored one run in
seven innings off Tom LaRosa. "If we expect to be the best, we’ve
go to beat the other team’s best."
UCLA’s loss also marked the end of Ammirato’s hitting streak.
The third baseman hit safely in 20 straight games before going zero
for three on Friday.
FRED HE/Daily Bruin
Freshman Eric Valent hit his first Bruin home run against
UNLV.
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