The Bruins knew their chances of a run at the postseason were
slim to none heading into this weekend series against Washington
(35-15, 10-8 Pac-10).
Slim, it seems, has turned its back on UCLA for good. After an
impressive 5-4 victory in the opener, the Bruins dropped the next
game 3-2 before finally taking a vicious beating in the
season’s final home game 13-2.
The weekend began well enough for UCLA (24-28, 8-10). Junior
starter Casey Janssen gave up a solo home run to the second batter
he faced, but bounced back to pitch a tremendous game. He was
dominant for seven innings, striking out 11 while walking one and
giving up only five hits for one earned run. Senior Doug Silva was
shaky in relief, but held on to get the save.
Aside from Janssen, the team was far from sharp. Two runners
were picked off at first base despite the fact there was no signal
given to steal. UCLA also committed three errors, two in the same
inning on bad throws from third baseman Brandon Averill and
shortstop Ryan McCarthy.
“We talked about (baserunning), but it didn’t
apparently it didn’t register for some people. We
weren’t going anywhere,” head coach Gary Adams said.
“We didn’t play well on defense, and we didn’t
hit well in the clutch. We won because of Casey and
Doug.”
The major difference in the game was patience at the plate:
Bruin hitters drew nine walks, three from freshman Brett
McMillan.
“Any time you get free passes, you can’t help but
score runs,” McMillan said. “We should’ve had
even more.”
The Huskies dugout, however, didn’t seem to agree with the
strike zone. Numerous complaints could be heard coming out of the
visitors bench and head coach Ken Knutson was officially warned by
the home plate umpire.
“It kind of pumps you up when they start
complaining,” Janssen said. “It’s a sign that
they’re breaking down a bit.”
Still, the Bruins failed to capitalize in many scoring
situations. With the bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the
third, a strike out, pop-fly and ground out silenced what could
have been a big inning. Overall, UCLA stranded 13 baserunners.
The inability to score runs would be a major theme in the next
two games. Sophomore Wes Whisler pitched well, giving up only three
runs (two earned) on five hits while striking out nine. The Bruin
offense, however, didn’t push a run across until the seventh
inning, when sophomore Chris Jensen hit a solo home run.
Senior Warren Trott followed Jensen with a double, and was
driven home by Averill. But by then it was too late.
The series finale was also Senior Day, the final home game of
the year. Pitching in the final home game of his career, senior
Mike Kunes was roughed up, giving up four runs in only two innings.
No Bruin reliever could manage to stop the bleeding; every single
pitcher for UCLA gave up at least one earned run. Junior Chris
Cordeiro suffered the most, giving up five in his two innings of
work.
Offensively, the Bruins didn’t fare much better, unable to
score until the bottom of the ninth. A 14-run rally, however,
didn’t happen for UCLA. By losing the series, UCLA is all but
mathematically eliminated from postseason play. The team must win
six of its next seven in order to qualify for NCAA regionals. Three
of the games, however, will be played against the No. 7-ranked
Cardinal at Stanford.