A year ago, the freshman-heavy lineup of the baseball team may have been more anxious after getting swept on the road at No. 5 Miami, but these guys are a year older and a year wiser.
With No. 11 UCLA (2-4) taking on UC Riverside (5-1) tonight at 6 p.m. at Jackie Robinson Stadium, the players view the game as a chance to get back on track.
“Last year we got swept by Cal State Fullerton, and then we came back on Tuesday to beat Long Beach State and sweep North Carolina State the next weekend,” shortstop Brandon Crawford said. Taking the mound for the Bruins tonight will be freshman Garett Claypool, making his first start for the Bruins. The West Hills native squares off against the Highlanders’ Taylor Bills.
The teams split the season series last year, with UC Riverside taking the first game 6-4, and the Bruins responding in the next meeting with a 9-4 victory.
In order to rebound against the Highlanders, the Bruins will be focusing on consistency when hitting with runners in scoring position. At times over the weekend, the Bruins suffered from an unsatisfied need for timely hitting that left them just short of bringing home the win.
“There were at least a couple of times that we had a runner on third with less than two outs, and we lost by one (on Friday and Saturday),” Crawford said. “If we get those runs in, who knows.”
On Saturday, the Bruins actually went into the bottom of the ninth up two runs, putting two runs on the board in the top of the ninth to pull ahead before giving up the game.
After the Miami series, Coach John Savage noted that while the defense has been good, the pitching needs to improve and the offense needs to put together more competitive at bats.
Having another game right away gives Savage’s team a chance to make a statement. “I think it’s important, we need to get back and establish ourselves as a team that can play a full nine innings,” Savage said. “We played a lot of good innings here, but we need nine against Riverside.”
The Bruins will have to play a full nine while still without their usual starting nine. Third baseman Jermaine Curtis is still waiting to take the field in 2007, awaiting the results of an academic issue.
On the way back is freshman pitcher Charles Brewer, who is waiting to take the mound for the first time in Westwood. The highly touted right-hander has been out with illness, and is hoping to be back in time for the series against Cal State Fullerton.