Down 6-5 with one out and two runners on in the top of the
sixth, UCLA coach Gary Adams called on Brant Rustich to stop a
Pepperdine rally that had already scored one run in the inning and
threatened to blow the game wide open.
The freshman pitcher quelled the rally, retiring the next two
batters to give the Bruins a chance to come back.
And come back they did, as UCLA (5-3) took advantage of an error
by Pepperdine’s Nick Kleibert to score three runs in the
bottom of the sixth and score a big 8-6 victory over the Waves
(2-5).
Rustich (1-0) pitched 3-2/3 innings of shutout relief,
scattering three hits and striking out five to gain his first
collegiate win.
“Brant Rustich did a great job, coming in with runners on
base and shutting down Pepperdine,” Adams said.
“That’s pretty good for a freshman.”
“The key for me was throwing strikes and having
confidence,” Rustich said.
While Rustich carried the pitching for the Bruins, sophomore
Hector Ambriz led UCLA offensively with timely hitting after
Kleibert’s huge error.
In the bottom of the sixth with runners on first and third and
two outs, junior right fielder Billy Susdorf hit a routine ground
ball to Kleibert that looked as if it would end the potential rally
for the Bruins.
Kleibert gloved it cleanly but his throw to second for the force
bounced and got away from second baseman David Uribes, allowing
Ryan McCarthy to score, Sean Carpenter to move to third, and
Susdorf to reach second base. This error tied the game and set the
stage for Ambriz, making his first start in the batting order for
the Bruins. The left-handed hitting Ambriz faced lefty reliever
Paul Coleman, specifically brought into the game to get Ambriz out.
However that strategy did not work, as Ambriz hit an opposite field
single to score Carpenter and Susdorf, giving the Bruins a lead
they would not relinquish.
In the first inning Ambriz, Susdorf and senior Chad Concolino
all had solo homers. It was the first career long ball for both
Ambriz and Concolino.
“It’s exciting, but the important thing is that we
got the win,” Ambriz said. “Anything to help the team
win, that is what is important.”
“That was the inning that was the turning point,”
Adams said. “Without that error, who knows if we would have
been able to come back and win this game,”
Rustich would pitch the next three innings flawlessly to secure
the win and build some momentum into this weekend’s four-game
series in Hawaii against Hawaii-Hilo.
“I wanted to keep the momentum from the sixth inning, and
I think I did a good job of that,” Rustich said.
“Momentum is such an important thing in this game.”