Baseball uses exhibition game against NC Dinos as learning opportunity
Redshirt sophomore pitcher Hunter Virant came in as a relief pitcher against the NC Dinos after UCLA allowed six runs in two innings. (Max Himmelrich/Daily Bruin)
By Conor Cusack
Feb. 26, 2015 1:45 a.m.
An unlikely player woke up a quiet Jackie Robinson crowd and provided a bright spot for the Bruins when he sent a ball hurtling into the darkness beyond the 395-feet marker in center field.
In the bottom of the ninth during a blowout, redshirt sophomore Keenan Pierandozzi-Howes, the team’s bullpen catcher, hit a home run in his first plate appearance in UCLA spikes.
“You don’t see that that often here,” said coach John Savage, alluding to the difficulty of clearing the center field fence at night.
Savage commended Pierandozzi-Howes’ work ethic recently and was glad to see it materialize.
“He’s worked extremely hard,” Savage said. “That was fun to watch.”
No. 7 UCLA (7-1) fell 13-6 to the NC Dinos, a Korean professional team, in an exhibition game Wednesday.
Coach Savage said that exhibition games like this are chances to give players opportunities to play and to learn from the other team.
The Dinos, in town before heading to MLB spring training, tagged the Bruins for 18 hits and 13 runs. Yet, the score itself does not account for the fact that they were facing relatively inexperienced college pitchers.
Savage used a platoon of pitchers, seven in all. Going into the game, they combined for only 7.2 innings pitched this season and redshirt sophomore pitcher Chase Radan, sophomore pitcher Moises Ceja and freshman pitcher Garrett Barker each made their first appearances of the season.
With only 1.2 innings under his belt this season, starting sophomore pitcher Scott Burke allowed six runs in just two innings pitched. However, late relief from Ceja, Barker, and redshirt sophomore pitcher Hunter Virant stopped the bleeding.
Junior infielder Trent Chatterton said that the main message for inexperienced and struggling pitchers is to stay ready.
“You never know when you’re going to come in,” Chatterton said. “There’s guys that don’t go on the road and they don’t travel the first two weekends and then they’re the guys contributing during the post-season.”
For UCLA, the chance to play a professional team served as a learning opportunity, said sophomore outfielder Kort Peterson, who pointed out the Dinos’ discipline and pace of play.
“You can really see how they can slow the game down and take it pitch to pitch. They’re really disciplined at the plate (and) really disciplined defensively,” Peterson said.
Savage said his team can learn from the Dinos’ at bats and ability to use the whole field when they hit. He added that there is no use getting caught up in the things they didn’t do right since its an exhibition in the middle of the regular season.
“You gotta use it, take a little bit from it and get to practice tomorrow,” Savage said.
