With their third doubleheader in as many days, a deep UCLA
pitching staff held up surprisingly well, but unfortunately the
offense failed to support it.
The Bruins’ pitchers out-dueled Creighton, 2-1 in
Monday’s morning game, but could not muster a single run in
the night game, losing 2-0 to No. 24 and tournament champion Texas
A&M in the finale of the Domino’s Pizza Classic in
College Station, Texas.
UCLA’s 3-3 tournament record was good enough for second
place.
Through six shortened seven-inning games, the Bruin offense
managed a meager 14 runs, relying almost entirely on their pitching
to secure three wins. Granted, the intermittent rain and bitter
cold did not do hitters any favors. Monday night’s game
started in 34-degree weather with a 24-degree wind chill.
Sophomore starter Bryan Beck allowed only one run in four
innings and sophomore David Johnson, freshman Garett White and
junior Chris Cordeiro closed the door as the Bruins (8-9) held
Creighton (1-7) to a measly two hits and sent it to a last place
tournament finish.
Tremendously encouraging for the Bruins were sophomore Wes
Whisler’s contributions. The team’s most feared hitter
went six for 16 on the weekend, improving upon a .237 average
entering Texas and giving hope that he may be emerging from an
early-season slump.
“I’m starting to feel more comfortable,”
Whisler said. “I was being overanxious, and now I’m
waiting until my pitch comes.”
With the tournament championship on the line at 8 p.m. local
time, 3401 people braved the elements to watch the
Aggies (8-2) freeze the both literally and figuratively cold
Bruin hitters in winning 2-0. Ambriz pitched very well, recording
all but one out. But he found the same lackluster offense backing
him that had failed to score more than four runs in a game all
tournament, and only managed five singles in the game.
“We faced some good pitchers and made some good
outs,” junior pitcher Casey Janssen said, “but we just
lacked that clutch hit.”
The only fireworks produced by UCLA in Monday night’s
action was the seventh inning ejection of normally mild-mannered
UCLA head coach Gary Adams for arguing balls and strikes. Adams
proceeded to take his frustration out in a heated face-to-face
yelling match with the umpire that even included a few chest
bumps.
The Bruins return to Los Angeles to play another tournament next
weekend.