Though its season has been marred by inconsistency so far, the Bruin baseball team remains resilient.
After losing 5-2 in the series opener Friday evening, UCLA (22-17, 6-6 Pac-10) won the last two games 8-1 and 4-3 against Washington (25-16, 5-7) to earn an important conference-series win at Husky Ballpark in Seattle.
Having the ability to battle back might make the difference in the wild Pac-10 Conference. The pitching staff did its part in helping the offense find a rhythm, allowing only nine runs combined over the three games.
“They all gave us a chance to win,” coach John Savage said. “(Tim) Murphy gave us a chance, (Charles) Brewer threw his best start in the conference, and then (Gavin) Brooks continued his ways on Sunday.”
Although junior left-hander Tim Murphy (3-5) pitched well enough to win Friday, Washington starting right-hander Jorden Merry (6-0) pitched better to remain undefeated this season. Murphy allowed three runs on five hits and punched out seven in seven innings, but Merry allowed two runs and struck out nine in eight innings pitched.
The Bruins evened the series with a victory on Saturday afternoon thanks in large part to the arm of sophomore right-hander Charles Brewer, who earned his fifth win of the season. In his six and one-third innings pitched, Brewer gave up a run on five hits to go along with six strikeouts. Through the first five innings, Washington starter Cam Nobles matched Brewer pitch for pitch, increasing the intensity of an already-heated pitcher’s duel.
UCLA finally broke the scoreless tie with a two-out rally in the sixth inning. Following a walk by third baseman Jermaine Curtis and a single by Brandon Crawford, first baseman Casey Haerther launched a three-run home run to left field to put the Bruins up 3-0.
The Bruins added their fourth run of the inning when right fielder Mickey Weisser doubled and later scored on a throwing error.
“This team plays well on the road,” Haerther said. “The series was huge for us. We started slow but we picked it up and that helped us get the wins.”
UCLA snatched the drizzle-filled series finale with a clutch three-run eighth-inning rally.
Down by two runs, the top of the order managed a rally against Husky left-hander Nick Haughian, with Carrithers and Curtis reaching base safely with no outs. The Bruins caught a break when Crawford followed with a ground ball that could have been turned for a double play but instead grazed off the glove of shortstop Doug Cherry.
The error allowed Carrithers to score and brought Haerther, who had another excellent weekend, to the plate. Haerther came through once again with a single to left field that scored Curtis and tied the game 3-3.
After pinch-hitter Eddie Murray failed to drop down a sacrifice bunt, Crawford aggressively stole third base to bring himself 90 feet from scoring with one out. Weisser followed with a bunt to score Crawford, giving UCLA its eventual 4-3 lead.
“It was a big call,” Savage said. “We didn’t get the bunt down the first time around. Brandon was real aggressive and got a great jump to steal third base.”
The big inning led to a huge win for the Bruins for just their second series win during Pac-10 play.
“We’re halfway home in conference,” Savage said. “The good news is that we’ve won two of our road series. Washington was 18-5 going into this weekend at home, so we’ve proven that we can play on the road. You have to give the players a lot of credit for bouncing back after Friday and getting the series win. It was a big weekend for the Bruins.”