If the Bruin baseball team needed any more confirmation of its
current state of rebuilding, it was reaffirmed by the weekend sweep
of UCLA by perennial power Cal State Fullerton, which culminated in
a 7-2 Bruin loss on Sunday afternoon.
The No. 9 Titans dominated all three games, and were able to
illustrate their supremacy in a number of ways
The Titans beat the Bruins (5-9) with strong pitching in the
first two games, and then were able to roll in the final game
behind a twelve-run onslaught.
“They pitched us well,” UCLA coach John Savage said.
“They have frontline, top-10 pitching. It’s part of the
learning process (playing against a team like Fullerton.)
It’s only going to make the team stronger and
better.”
Saturday’s game at Fullerton was the most competitive game
of the weekend, with the Bruins maintaining a 1-1 tie into the
eighth inning behind a strong pitching performance from junior
David Huff. In the eighth, however, the Titans were able to scratch
out two runs, off a wild pitch and a ground out. Huff’s wild
pitch gave the Titans a lead they would not relinquish en route to
their 3-1 victory.
“I was feeling pretty good,” Huff said.
“Everything was kind of working. I’m just frustrated
because there were a couple of pitches that I’d like (to
take) back.”
On Sunday, the Bruin bats finally came alive, but their pitching
failed them early. Junior starting pitcher Tyson Brummett gave up
five runs in the first two innings, and his relief, freshman Jason
Novak, did the same in his two innings. Down 10-3 after four
innings, the Bruins were unable to mount any real comeback.
“This was the first day our starting pitching really
failed us,” Savage said. “We did some nice things
offensively, but our pitching just didn’t come
through.”