After six-game losing streak, Bruins barely slide by Trojans

Monday, March 2, 1998

After six-game losing streak, Bruins barely slide by Trojans

BASEBALL Disrespectful steal attempt aside, win will turn season
around

By Vytas Mazeika

Daily Bruin Staff

When Eric Byrnes stepped up to the plate in the eighth inning on
Sunday, the 1,440 fans in USC’s Dedeaux Field could sense that
something big was about to happen.

Byrnes, a senior outfielder for the UCLA baseball team who would
be involved in an ugly scenario in the ninth, was 0 for 13 in the
series before his eighth inning at bat and the pre-season
All-American was due. So when Trojan pitcher Craig Jones hung a
slider, Byrnes drilled a single into center, and Bruin second
baseman Jack Santora came around to score the eventual winning
run.

The next batter, freshman third baseman Garrett Atkins, drilled
a three-run homer over the right field wall to put the game out of
reach.

"It’s the worst series of my career; I will tell you that much
right there," Byrnes said. "By far the worst series of my
career."

It has also been the worst of times for the Bruins (8-10
overall, 3-5 in the Six-Pac), who had lost six games in a row
before Sunday’s victory. The losing streak almost came to an end at
home on Saturday when UCLA’s Eric Reece struck out to end a
ninth-inning rally – allowing No. 2 USC (14-3, 4-2) to prevail
10-9.

Friday at USC, the Bruins were almost shut out by Trojan pitcher
Seth Etherton. UCLA scored the only run of a 6-1 defeat with two
outs in the bottom of the ninth.

"We lost a lot of tough games, so it was good to get this one,"
said Atkins, who went 7 for 14 against USC. "I hope we’re on the
right track and we can get a winning streak going."

The Bruins jumped to a 6-2 lead in the third inning, but the
Trojans responded by tying the game 7-7 by the seventh inning. UCLA
head coach Gary Adams came out continuously to calm his young
players – especially freshman starter Jon Brandt whose curveball
made many Trojans buckle their feet.

The lack of panic in the Bruin clubhouse helped spearhead the
five-run eighth inning.

"I don’t want the guys to ever say ‘Here we go again,’" Adams
explained. "The words should be ‘Let’s overcome it.’ We’ve had a
lot of ‘Here go we again’ this season, but we gotta say ‘Let’s
overcome it.’"

This "let’s overcome it" philosophy could be why UCLA junior
outfielder Eric Valent tried to steal second base in the ninth
inning with no outs and a one-run lead.

The Bruins have experienced many defensive and pitching problems
in 1998. Perhaps Valent wanted to secure the game with a bigger
lead, but in baseball a stolen base in this situation is a sign of
disrespect. Therefore Trojan pitcher Mike Weibling proceeded to
throw three inside pitches at Byrnes as a warning to UCLA.

Weibling’s final pitch seemed like an intentional pitch aimed at
plunking Byrnes in the back – the pitch barely missed Byrnes and
ended up on the backstop.

"It had to be intentional," Byrnes said. "Maybe it was because
of the steal … and they had to send a message that you shouldn’t
run in that situation."

The apparent attempt to injure a Bruin hitter left a sour taste
on the day. However, the struggling Bruins may have turned their
season around.

"That was (Valent’s) call and a bonehead play," Adams said. "He
had the ‘no-go’ sign on. ‘No-go’ means don’t steal. He could’ve
gotten his teammate killed. That was a bonehead play, and it made
me mad."

For the UCLA baseball team, it was the best of times, it was the
worst of times.