If Tuesday’s game becomes a microcosm of the UCLA baseball
team’s season, it’ll be pleased with the ending. After
a sluggish offensive start, the Bruins piled on seven runs in their
final three innings en route to an 8-2 win over Cal State
Fullerton.
With their season teetering back and forth, the Bruins hope the
victory will land them permanently on the winning end of the
see-saw.
“We had to convince ourselves that we are capable of doing
this,” coach Gary Adams said. “They’re a team
we’ve go to beat if we’re expecting to make the
playoffs.”
After losing four of their last five heading into the game, the
Bruins’ playoff hopes appeared to be fading away. But the
team’s second win over the Big West conference-leading Titans
improves not only its record, but also its RPI and confidence.
“We’re a team that plays up to the competition and
rises for the occasion,” said junior Wes Whisler, who went
two for four, including a crucial two-run single in the seventh
inning that put the Bruins up 6-2.
Before breaking open the game late with their bats, the Bruins
relied on a solid pitching effort from sophomore starter Daniel
Miltenberger to hold the Titans at bay. Miltenberger, who had
struggled with his mechanics early during the season and did not
earn his first start until last week against Wichita State, gave up
only two runs on two hits in six innings.
“I’m placing the balls better and becoming more
consistent,” Miltenberger said. “This was a real
confidence booster.”
Miltenberger’s strong performance overshadowed an
effective outing by Titan starter, lefty Ryan Schreppel, who in
three innings gave up only a solo home run by sophomore Chris
Denove. But when the Titans turned to their right-handed bullpen,
the Bruins took advantage. Senior Brandon Averill’s two-run
homer in the sixth triggered a three-run inning in which the Bruins
jumped ahead 4-2.
“(Miltenberger) kept us in the game,” said junior
shortstop Ryan McCarthy, who scored off Whisler’s single
during the inning. “There was no huge deficit for us to come
back from, and we just stayed with it.”
The Bruins solidified their lead in the seventh with
Whisler’s two-out single, giving the pitchers some breathing
room against the potent Titan offense.
“A two-run lead against Fullerton is nothing,” Adams
said.
The four-run lead was more than enough for the Bruins, but they
added two more for good measure with freshman Jarrad Page’s
two-run home run in the eighth. The blast was sandwiched between a
dominating closer’s appearance by junior Kyle Wilson, who
recorded five strikeouts in 1-2/3 innings.
If the Bruins close out their season like Wilson did the Titans,
their playoff picture will be much brighter.