With seemingly all hope lost, the UCLA baseball team went into
the bottom of the ninth on Sunday down by five runs against USC in
front of the remainder of a large crowd that had mostly given up
and left.
The fans that did stay witnessed what Bruins coach Gary Adams
called “the miracle of Jackie Robinson Field.”
In Adams’ last game ever against USC, the Bruins (25-19,
8-7 Pac-10) sent 11 batters to the plate in the bottom of the ninth
to score six runs and pull out an improbable 13-12 win over the
Trojans (21-24, 7-8 Pac-10).
“It is really hard to articulate my emotions right now
because I am on such a high,” an overjoyed Adams said.
“My happiness comes 36-fold because there are 36 guys.
Imagine how happy they are and multiply it by 36 and that’s
where I am.”
Catcher Chris Denove was the hero of the game, stroking a ground
ball single to right field to drive in right fielder Matt Thayer,
finishing the game in dramatic fashion and winning the crucial
Pac-10 series.
“It was bases loaded, so you know the pitcher has to throw
strikes,” Denove said. “I was looking for a pitch up in
the zone, so I could put a good (swing) on it. I got that pitch and
I drove it the other way for the hit.”
The inning started with designated hitter Wes Whisler drawing a
walk off of Trojans pitcher Cole Ganser. Denove quickly did the
same and Ganser was pulled for Jon Williams. Williams proved to be
even more ineffective than Ganser, as he began by giving up an RBI
single to left fielder Brandon Averill to pull UCLA within
four.
Third baseman Preston Griffin walked to load the bases with no
outs for first baseman Brett McMillan, who hit a sacrifice fly to
drive in Denove, reducing UCLA’s deficit to three. Anthony
Norman then came through off the bench, pinch hitting and lining a
single into right field to drive in pinch runner Jonathan
Medici.
Thayer singled to load the bases with only one out and UCLA down
12-10. Second baseman Mike Svetlic reached on an infield single off
of Williams’ glove to drive in Griffin, and shortstop Ryan
McCarthy hit a sacrifice fly to center field to drive in Norman to
tie the game.
Whisler came up for the second time in the inning and was walked
again to once again load the bases.
Williams was finally pulled and Paul Koss entered the game for
the dramatic at-bat with Denove.
“It was a long day in the heat and the whole team was
getting worn out, but there is so much fight in us that we kept it
going,” Denove said.
“I don’t think there was a doubt that we could do
it. It was just a matter of whether it would happen or
not.”
Adams quickly drew a comparison with a classic 1976 meeting
between the two rivals.
“We were down 6-4 in the bottom of the ninth against USC
at Sawtelle Field with two outs and nobody on, and we came back to
win. We called it the miracle of Sawtelle Field,” Adams said.
“Today was the miracle of Jackie Robinson Field.”
Adams, who has been a part of UCLA baseball for 36 years as a
coach and player, said this was the best game between the Bruins
and Trojans that he has ever seen.
“The game in 1976 came close, but when I went into the
clubhouse to talk to the guys, I told them, “˜This was even
better,'” Adams said.
The momentum in the game swung back and forth, as USC took an
early lead until UCLA tied it at four in the bottom of the fourth
inning.
But the Trojans scored five runs over the next three innings to
take a 9-4 lead into the bottom of the eighth.
The Bruins started to come back with three runs in the eighth,
thanks to an RBI single by McMillan and a two-run single with two
outs by Svetlic. But with the tying runs on second and third,
McCarthy hit a routine fly ball to left field for the third
out.
Still, the Bruins were in good position for a comeback ““
down by only two at home going into the ninth.
The Trojans’ offense, however, took advantage of the Bruin
relievers, scoring three runs off of Brian Schroeder and David
Johnson and regaining the momentum.
Daniel Miltenberger, who relieved Johnson, induced a double play
ball to get out of the inning without further damage.
With the Trojans up by five and with many Bruins fans slowly
leaving the stadium, Miltenberger (2-0) and the rest of the team
still believed in themselves.
“I believed in our offense and so did the rest of the
guys,” Miltenberger said.
“This team, we’re never out of it,” Whisler
said. “We are in the game from beginning until end. Never
count us out.”