If there is no crying in baseball then the Bruins will have to
be brave at the doctor’s office. The UCLA men’s
baseball team suffered two injuries in the 6-4 loss against UC
Riverside on Tuesday night. X-rays revealed freshman outfielder Tim
Murphy had suffered a fractured wrist when he was hit by a pitch in
the eighth inning. Murphy had cooled off after being a catalyst in
the first series of the season against Fresno State, and is now
sidelined for six to eight weeks. Joining Murphy on the disabled
list is senior utility infielder Sean Carpenter, who tripped and
fell during a crucial rundown in the top of the ninth, leaving him
unable to complete the play and injuring his right knee. He is out
for an indefinite amount of time. The team had all of the
ingredients in Tuesday’s game, getting both good pitching and
hitting performances, but not at the same time. “It seemed
like we didn’t make the right pitch, or get the good at
bat,” coach John Savage said of the team’s loss on
Tuesday. A lot of the hits have been coming out of the ninth spot
in the order, from freshman shortstop Brandon Crawford. Crawford
leads the Pac-10 in triples with three, and currently owns a
team-best five-game hitting streak. Junior left-hander Dave Huff
has been contributing in a major way but has not been getting much
offensive support. Huff owns a team-best 1.88 ERA over 14.1
innings, but the Bruins have scored only three runs while he has
been on the mound. The UCLA nine are looking to stay their current
course, and hope for breaks on the field, instead of in a cast.
“If the breaks fall for us, we’ll be good,”
junior infielder Tim Stewart said.
UPCOMING GAME: UCLA takes to the road for the first time this
season, traveling up to Stockton for a three-game series against
the University of the Pacific (6-1). The Tigers have been tough at
home so far, holding a 5-1 record at Stockton Ballpark. The Bruins
(2-5) hope a change in scenery will spur a change in their luck.
“We’re playing really good,” Stewart said. The
Bruins will send ace Hector Ambriz to the hill on Friday, followed
by team strikeout leader Huff (13 Ks) on Saturday, and Tyson
Brummett Sunday.