Bruins gear up for Irvine
Freshman Cody Keefer was 2-4 with four RBIs and a home run in Saturday’s 14-6 win over Washington. The Bruins are looking to play long ball tonight against UC Irvine.
By Ryan Eshoff
May 10, 2010 10:40 p.m.
John Savage digs the long ball.
After the UCLA baseball team blasted seven home runs in sweeping a three-game series against Washington over the weekend, the sixth-year coach gushed about the power surge.
“It was a strength of ours early in the year, and it’s nice to see us hitting the ball out again,” Savage said. “We’re at our best when we have lots of guys contributing, and we got that over the weekend with guys hitting home runs.”
Six different players went deep for No. 11 UCLA (34-10) over the weekend, including freshmen Cody Keefer and Cody Regis, who each hit their first. The Bruins’ next chance to flex their muscles comes tonight as they travel to face UC Irvine (29-16) in their fifth straight road game.
It will be the second matchup in a fortnight between the two programs, with UCLA having won 4-1 at Jackie Robinson on April 27. In that game, the Bruins got a home run from outfielder Chris Giovinazzo to help support starting pitcher Garett Claypool, who gave up just one run in seven and two-thirds innings to earn the victory.
“Claypool’s been as good as any Tuesday starter in the country,” Savage said. “He’s really been throwing the ball well here the last few games, and we’ll expect more of the same against Irvine.”
The senior right-hander is 7-1 and is tied for the best ERA on the team with a 2.02. In three of his last four starts, he has given up one run or fewer in each game.
“We just have to follow Claypool’s lead,” catcher Steve Rodriguez said. “He’s been really effective on Tuesdays, and our job is to back him up. We know he’s going to give us a good effort.”
One of the biggest problems that UCLA might face will be keeping its focus solely on the Anteaters, one of the better teams in the Big West and placed second behind Cal State Fullerton. This weekend, a certain team from across Los Angeles will roll into Jackie Robinson Stadium for a tilt with the Bruins.
UCLA and USC met earlier this year at Dodger Stadium, but the series this weekend will take place in a more intimate setting and count toward the conference standings. That said, there is still the matter of dealing with UC Irvine tonight before the rivalry games begin.
“It’s going to be tough not to look ahead to USC,” Rodriguez said. “The games against those guys are always a lot of fun, but we know that we have to take care of business (today) first. We can’t be tossing games away just because ‘SC is coming in.”
The Bruins will be going for their fifth consecutive win away from Westwood. They have lost just twice on the road all season, and both of those have come against Pac-10 competition, something that Savage attributed to good execution and focus.
“Pitching and defense will continue to be key,” Savage said. “The good at bats are going to be there, but we need to play good ball, and Claypool is going to have to go deep into the game.”
Going deep? That’s something the Bruin hitters can relate to.
