The storms of a few weeks ago appear to have washed away much of
the UCLA baseball team’s success. After starting a surprising
6-3, the Bruins encountered almost two straight weeks of showers,
forcing them to miss practice time and only play two out of four
scheduled games. UCLA has gone a paltry 1-6 since its impressive
start, including dropping its last five after being swept over the
weekend. Still, the Bruins downplay the effect the rain had on
their recent play. “It was the same for everybody,”
UCLA coach John Savage said. “To be honest, I don’t
think the rain got us off track.” “I don’t really
think the rain has affected us,” sophomore outfielder Will
Penniall added. “It seems like every Friday it’s going
to rain and (sophomore Friday starter Hector Ambriz) has set the
tone even through the delays.” All indications are that
today’s game against Cal State Northridge, which is a makeup
game, will be played under clear skies. For Savage, though, rain
does have some benefits. “Good teams handle adversity,”
he said. “And it’s always good to see how people react
in adversity.”
LONG-AWAITED DEBUT: Junior reliever Paul Oseguera climbed the
mound in a game for the first time after almost four injury-plagued
seasons. He allowed two walks and two hits, but no runs in 1-2/3
innings. “I definitely had some butterflies,” Oseguera
said. “But I took a couple of deep, deep breaths and was able
to calm down.” “It was a big night for Paul,”
Savage said. “He handled himself very well.” Oseguera,
who Baseball America once rated the top 16-year-old in the country,
injured his arm in high school and has had a number of setbacks on
his journey back to the mound. “I definitely have a lot of
work to do still,” Oseguera said. “I still have plenty
of holes in my game to fill in.”
TUESDAY’S STARTER: After having a rough outing on Sunday,
sophomore Brant Rustich will have a quick chance to redeem himself
as Savage hands him the ball again on Tuesday against the Matadors
(5-5-1). Rustich, who earlier in the year had a complete game with
just one unearned run, gave up nine runs on 10 hits Sunday.