With two outs in the bottom of the ninth against fourth-seeded
Missouri on Sunday, freshman catcher Ryan Babineau popped out
meekly to left field, ending second-seeded UCLA’s
inauspicious run in the Malibu Regional with a 2-1 loss.
After posting a 3-2 win over UC Irvine on Friday, the Bruins
dropped consecutive games to end a resurgent season.
And if the weekend solidified anything, it is that the Bruins
(33-25, 13-10 Pac-10) are a young team.
But along with the negative effects of inexperience, which
resulted in poor offensive execution and too many fly outs in a
stadium too spacious and ill-suited for the long ball, comes the
hope for the future.
The Bruins had five freshmen in the starting lineup in the
must-win game Sunday, an affirmation of the faith that UCLA coach
John Savage has put in his exciting yet raw club.
“Our players played what I think is the toughest schedule
in the country,” Savage said. “Not many people would
have won as many games. You’ve got to tip your hat to the
seniors, and you can tell we’re heading in the right
direction with the young players.”
The Bruin freshmen had five of the team’s six hits Sunday,
and over the series they batted just under .300, led by designated
hitter Cody Decker, who had four hits in nine at-bats.
UCLA’s starting pitching, which had been the strength of
the team throughout the season, was once again what kept the Bruins
within striking distance in regional play.
But the Bruins couldn’t turn an excellent start by junior
pitcher Tyson Brummett on Sunday into a win. Brummett gave up just
one run on a balk in the fifth inning before being pulled in the
seventh inning in favor of redshirt junior pitcher Paul
Oseguera.
“It’s obviously a big play,” Savage said.
“Hey, it scored one of their runs. But that’s
baseball, that will happen. It was early in the game, and we still
had lots of opportunities. That’s not what beat
us.”
On Friday, in the first game against UC Irvine, junior starter
Hector Ambriz threw a complete game, giving up only two unearned
runs in the Bruins’ 3-2 victory. Saturday, junior starter
Dave Huff threw seven innings of two-run balls before being tagged
for three in the eighth inning of the Bruins’ 6-0 loss to
Pepperdine.
The Bruin pitching, however, could not keep afloat an offense
that managed a meager four runs over three games.
Saturday’s loss to Pepperdine was a winnable game that
went sour. The Bruins could not capitalize on several mistakes by
Waves fielders and were ultimately put in an insurmountable hole
thanks to a four-run ninth inning that left them down 6-0.
“We got lucky in the ninth by getting a four-spot, which
gave us some breathing room,” Pepperdine coach Steve
Rodriguez said. “Overall it was a great baseball
game.”
UCLA’s loss Saturday put the team in what proved to be an
insurmountable spot, having to win two games Sunday and another
Monday to advance to the Super Regionals.
But simply making regional play was a remarkable feat for a team
that went 15-41 last year and was laden with freshmen and two
junior college transfers to prop up the starting rotation.
With newcomers starting at catcher, first base, shortstop, third
base and left field for much of the season, the Bruins finished
third in the Pac-10, five spots higher than predicted.
“I think in the big picture our season overshadows this,
but it’s just frustrating,” redshirt senior outfielder
Chris Jensen said.
This run to the regionals was only the 12th time in UCLA
baseball history, and it was the first time since 2004, when the
Bruins made it to the first of two elimination games against
Florida, which they lost 11-0.