The UCLA baseball team (2-1) stumbled in its season opener
Friday with an 8-6 loss to Cal State Northridge (1-2) that revealed
the Bruins’ youth and inexperience.
But the same naivete that harmed them Friday became their ally
as they claimed victory 17-6 on Saturday and 13-8 on Sunday over a
highly regarded Matadors team with whom they had good reason to be
overwhelmed.
Friday’s game introduced a Bruin starting lineup devoid of
seniors and featuring only two juniors and sophomore Wes Whisler.
They faced an always-powerful Northridge squad that ended 2002
ranked 18th and handed the Bruins their third straight loss in a
home opener.
Whisler, UCLA’s No. 1 starter, battled well through five
innings, scattering the Matadors’ hits and extinguishing
multiple rallies with minimal damage ““ until he hung a
first-pitch changeup to pinch-hitter Aaron McKensie, who went deep
with two runners on in the sixth.
“His changeup is his third-best pitch,” head coach
Gary Adams said. “Usually you don’t throw your
third-best pitch to a guy right off the bench. But you got to learn
the hard way, and now it won’t happen again.”
After a day of play Friday where Adams criticized the
Bruins’ offensive approach for being too concerned with
swinging for the fences, the same Bruin lineup pounded out 17 runs
on 15 hits without a single home run.
Keying the onslaught were sophomore right fielder Billy Susdorf,
freshman catcher Chris Denove and sophomore leadoff man Matt
Thayer. Thayer reached base six times via three hits and three
walks and also made a spectacular grab over the center-field wall
in the second inning.
“I got a really good jump and read and before I knew it, I
was at the wall and leaped,” said Thayer.
Senior co-captain Mike Kunes gave up only one earned run in five
innings and freshman Adam Simon impressed by overcoming a
sixth-inning homer and shutting Northridge down for the save.
“I’ve seen Mike pitch better games, but when
you’re a senior you know how to get it done without your
best,” said pitching coach Gary Adcock. “Last year, we
lost too many games in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings, but
these last two games we’ve done much better at attacking
hitters late in the game.”
Sunday, UCLA traveled to Northridge, and the result was largely
the same as Saturday. This time four home runs by junior shortstop
Ryan McCarthy (his first of the season), junior second baseman
Preston Griffin (2), Denove (1), and Susdorf (2), fueled a 19-hit
offense.
Junior Casey Janssen started