Going into the bottom of the 10th inning down 4-3 to Cal State
Northridge on Saturday night, the UCLA baseball team could have
easily given in.
The Matadors had all the momentum after scoring four unanswered
runs because of poor defense and wild pitching on the Bruins’
part.
But thanks to three defensive miscues by the Matadors, UCLA came
back to pull out the 5-4 win, propelling them to a sweep in the
rain-shortened two-game series.
“The mood in the dugout going into the bottom of the 10th
wasn’t ideal but we just found a way to get it done,”
said left fielder Will Penniall, who had the winning hit.
Matador third baseman Chase McGuire misplayed a high pop up down
the third base line by Hector Ambriz to start the Bruin rally and
later muffed an Anthony Norman groundball that loaded the bases.
First baseman Drew Aguailar then failed to smother a hard Jarrad
Page grounder that would also have been an out, but instead caused
the tying run.
After pinch-hitter Matt Sharp struck out, Penniall laced the
first pitch from Matador reliever Peter Eberhardt into center field
for the winning run.
“We play hard from the first pitch until the last pitch
and that’s the mentality that we are starting to see with
this team,” UCLA coach John Savage said.
On Sunday there would be no need for late-inning heroics as
surprise starter Brant Rustich and first baseman Brett McMillan
made sure that the Matadors would not split the series.
Rustich started in place of Brian Beck, who had a sore arm, and
pitched a complete game, giving up no earned runs. Meanwhile,
McMillan hit a three-run home run in the fifth inning to pace the
Bruins to a 7-1 win at Matador field.
Rustich came into the game with 12 walks in only 8-1/3 innings,
but on Sunday, he had excellent control, only walking two in nine
innings.
“We’ve been working all week and all year on being
consistent and pounding the glove and hitting the strike
zone,” Rustich said. “Today I just put it all in
place.”
Savage believed a combination of improved confidence and more
consistent mechanics kept Rustich on his game while McMillan
credited Rustich with keeping his emotions in check.
“He stayed within himself and pitched with a ton of poise
today,” McMillan said. “I think he is an excitable guy.
The more he stays on an even keel, the better he is.”
McMillan’s home run, the Bruins’ first of the
season, gave the Bruins a 4-0 lead Rustich would not
relinquish.