Cal crushes UCLA’s playoff hopes in weekend sweep
By Daily Bruin Staff
May 6, 2001 9:00 p.m.
 NICOLE MILLER/Daily Bruin Freshman shortstop
Preston Griffin tags for an out in a game earlier
this season. The Bruins lost to Cal in three big games this
weekend. Cal d. UCLA, 6-2 Cal d.
UCLA, 9-8 Cal d. UCLA, 8-6
By Jeff Agase
Daily Bruin Reporter
After dropping the first two games of a must-win series this
weekend at Jackie Robinson Stadium against California (30-22, 14-10
Pac-10) with scores of 6-2 and 9-8 (eleven innings), the UCLA
baseball team had neared its boiling point.
By game three, the Bruins (26-23, 6-12) were violently steaming.
UCLA Head Coach Gary Adams was ejected in the ninth inning of a
forgettable 8-6 Sunday loss that severely jeopardized Bruin playoff
hopes.
All weekend the Bruins smashed line drives. All weekend they
went directly into the gloves of California defenders.
All weekend the Bears hit chopping balls into the shallow
infield. All weekend they reached base on the dribblers.
“I don’t care what their record says,” said
Golden Bear Head Coach David Esquer. “That’s a good
UCLA team. They battled us as tough as any other team we’ve
played.”
The Bruins even got a chance to pitch their two main aces, Jon
Brandt and Josh Karp, but they were largely ineffective in their
first returns to action since injury.
Brandt came in for veteran Bobby Roe, who was shellacked in the
first inning for four runs on six hits but calmed down to pitch
into the seventh before abdicating to Brandt, a fellow senior.
Brandt inherited two runners, who both scored, and he allowed
another run to relinquish the lead.
Karp (4-2) started Sunday’s game but lasted only five
innings after surrendering nine hits and six earned runs. He said
he felt fine physically but ran into a streaking ballclub.
“You have to give them credit,” Karp said.
“They swung the bat well. It’s frustrating, but
they’re a hot team and they’re getting good breaks
right now. I just had a rough outing. I think I’m entitled to
one of them once in a while.”
The Bruins could have used a smoother outing from their
undisputed ace Karp, especially after leaving USC last weekend with
three losses and knowing that the Cal series was absolutely crucial
for the Pac-10 pecking order and playoff hunt.
“It was big for the fact that if it comes down to it and
we’re tied with Cal, we needed to have the two wins,”
Roe said after the Saturday loss. “That’s what we were
worried about, and today was a really big day.”
Gutsy senior Paul Diaz (3-2) started Friday’s nighttime
opener but was victimized by some solid hitting and the first of
three controversial balk calls against the Bruins on the weekend.
Diaz went only three innings, giving up five runs, while Cal
starter Kevin Hutchinson (5-6) scattered 10 Bruin hits over eight
in the win.
Offensive firepower that was far too inconsistent to make a
significant difference was provided by centerfielder Matt Pearl,
who hit two home runs, and batting leader Brian Baron, who went 7
for 16.
The Bruins were swept for a third straight weekend and are 1-10
in their last 11. Although they have RPI-boosting wins against
Pepperdine, Tulane, USC, Long Beach State and Stanford, the NCAA
Playoffs selection committee does not look kindly on a sub-.500
conference record.
“I told the team you just have to keep on believing, and
you can’t lose your confidence,” Adams said. “If
we take care of ourselves against Oregon State, take care of
ourselves against Arizona State, then who knows. In 1993 we went to
the playoffs even though we were 11-13.”
“Until we are mathematically out of it, nobody is going to
give up.”
Unfortunately, the math will need to include some more wins.
