Wednesday, February 10, 1999
UCLA to rein in Toreros
BASEBALL: Gauchos spared by showers as Bruins focus on USD
By Rocky Salmon
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
The UCLA baseball team has been held back in its attempt to get
back to the .500 mark.
Old man winter showed up to rain down on the Bruins and UC Santa
Barbara before they could get off a first pitch.
After playing like true ballers in beating a three-game series
against Georgia Tech over the weekend, the Bruins stood with a 4-5
record.
Scheduled to go against a Gaucho team that is 2-4 and a pitcher
who had not started a game this year, the Bruins were licking their
chops.
But lo and behold, rain decided to fall and hold back the UCLA
offensive dogs.
Today, the Bruins will face off against the University of San
Diego at Jackie Robinson Stadium.
The Toreros are 2-1 on the season and will be sending senior
left-handed ace, Mark Vallecorse, to the mound.
Vallecorse is undefeated on the season but holds a 4.22 ERA.
Facing off against the galloping Torero will be Ryan Carter, who
was scheduled to pitch yesterday.
Even though Carter (4.12 ERA) has been inconsistent on the year,
getting blasted in his last outing against "Tech nine," the
southpaw is throwing game. In just 13 innings he has fanned 16
batters and started off the season with a 12-inning scoreless
streak.
Last year, the Bruins swept the Toreros under a mat, blistering
them 7-1 and 8-2.
Today the game will be a little different than last year’s as
USD’s coach for the past 35 years retired at the beginning of the
season handing the saddle over to former University of San
Francisco coach Rich Hill.
Hill will inherit a team that was 29-30 last year and have 23
returners to work with. So far King has had a good time defeating
CS Northridge 10-2 and splitting a series with CS San Lois
Obispo.
With a new coach at the reins the Toreros are still one of the
stronger teams in the West Coast Conference after a 18-12 record in
the WCC last year. Against a surging Bruin team the Toreros will
have to rely on pitching to stymie the offensive UCLA
explosions.
The game at 2 p.m. against the roping Toreros will be a perfect
tune up for a tough Big Ball Tournament in Houston. Like big
ballers shot calling the Bruins will have to face another top
10-ranked team in No. 2 Rice on Saturday.
The match against USD will be the time to rope together a third
perfect game in a row before having to face the B’Owls of Hell.
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