After a tough week in which the Bruins lost three out of four
games after being ranked No. 22 in the nation, the UCLA baseball
team (25-19) was able to bounce back with a victory over UC
Riverside (22-18) on Tuesday.
The game was a continuation from their March 28 game, when the
Bruins were leading 6-3 in the top of the fourth before rain
postponed the contest.
The Bruins were able to lengthen that lead immediately when the
game was resumed on Tuesday with three runs on a double by senior
Sean Smith in the fourth inning.
“It was just good to get back out there and get a
win,” UCLA coach John Savage said. “Sean Smith had a
clutch hit for us right off the bat, so I think there was a sense
of urgency (because of the shortened game.)”
The starter for the Bruins, junior Brian Schroeder, lasted only
two and two-thirds innings at the first portion of the game before
being pulled in favor of freshman Jason Novak, who threw three and
one-third innings with two strikeouts and only one run, which was
unearned.
Junior Paul Oseguera and normal Friday night starter Hector
Ambriz closed out the game with a combined three shutout innings.
Ambriz brought the final score to 9-4 in favor of the Bruins in
their first game since being dropped from the top 25.
“Novak really set the tone out there with his
pitching,” Savage said. “He’s a big part of our
future. Oseguera also threw the ball pretty well.”
The Bruins were led offensively by Smith, who had two hits and
four RBI, and Ambriz, who had two hits to go with two RBI. With a
full week off before next week’s Tuesday game against UC
Santa Barbara, Ambriz was available to pitch for the Bruins.
The week off likely could not have come at a more opportune
time, as the Bruins have sputtered of late.
Last week, the Bruins suffered a loss to UC Santa Barbara and
losses in two of three games against California over the weekend.
The clutch hitting that carried them through the first half of the
conference schedule deserted them against Cal, but Savage sees no
reason for panic.
“We’re trying to just go weekend to weekend,”
Savage said. “What happened last weekend is over now. Losing
two out of three doesn’t really have any bearing on whether
the time off will be good or bad. (The time off) should help our
starters get some rest and some work in a controlled
environment.”