UCLA socks it to UCSB, ends slump

  NICOLE MILLER/Daily Bruin Senior second baseman
Ryan Rasmussen begins to turn a double play
against UCSB on Tuesday. The Bruins went on to defeat the Gauchos
11-7 at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

By Scott Bair
Daily Bruin Reporter

Baseball players are a superstitious bunch.

Every Bruin player emerged from the clubhouse for
Tuesday’s contest against UC Santa Barbara with blue,
knee-high socks.

“After losing six in a row, we had to change
something,” UCLA first baseman Casey Janssen said.

Senior outfielder and co-captain Adam Berry suggested making the
change. The Bruins were looking for something to change their luck.
And after suffering four recent one run losses, the Bruins were
more than happy to take the 11-7 win.

But it wasn’t luck that won Tuesday’s match against
UCSB ““ it was Berry himself.

“I looked myself in the mirror this morning and I decided
that I had to do something to help this team, because I’m
sick of losing,” Berry said. “I took it upon myself to
ignite this team.”

The Bruins had a number of goals going into the game. The first
being to get some early runs.

Berry took care of that on one swing. He drove a fastball well
over the right field wall in the second inning to score the first
two Bruin runs and establish a lead that they would not
relinquish.

The rest of the Bruins fed off of the home run, notching five
runs on six hits before the second inning was over. Leadoff hitter
Matt Thayer’s first collegiate home run was an integral part
of the offensive barrage, which was the first step in forgetting
their six game losing streak.

On the other side of the ball, UCLA pitcher Mike Kunes was back
on the mound in an attempt to put his last outing, when he allowed
eight runs in 1.1 innings, behind him for good.

“I felt that I had my good stuff on Saturday, so I wanted
to get back on the mound as quick as I could so I could get back on
the winning track,” Kunes said.

Kunes allowed three runs in five innings of work and had a firm
control of the Gaucho hitters. Kunes pitched well to eight of the
UCSB batters, looking more like he did his first three starts than
he did in last Saturday’s 26-4 loss to USC.

But it was that ninth member of the Gaucho lineup that kept
Kunes from being better. Designated hitter Mike Wilkerson hit two
home runs off of Kunes in his first two at bats to keep UCSB (9-7)
in the game.

After Wilkerson’s second home run in the top of the fifth,
Berry shut down any threat of a UCSB comeback. He struck again in
the bottom of the fifth, hitting his second home run of the day to
eliminate Wilkerson’s effort and keep the UCLA’s
spirits up.

UCLA also survived another cardiac moment from the bullpen,
which allowed four Santa Barbara runs in the seventh. Doug Silva
and Wade Clark combined to allow two walks and three hits in the
inning. According to UCLA head coach Gary Adams, a rally like that
last weekend would have deflated Bruin optimism.

The Bruins looked like a different team than they did over the
weekend. They were aggressive at the plate and on the base paths.
They amassed 14 hits and three stolen bases Tuesday night at Jackie
Robinson Stadium. They were constantly pushing the UCSB defense to
make tough plays to throw them out.

“Our hitters attacked them at the plate today,”
Adams said. “We were aggressive in every facet of the game
and that’s why seven runs didn’t beat us
tonight.”

Maybe it was the matching socks. Maybe it was Berry’s
leadership. Maybe it was a new aggressive attitude.

Whatever the inspiration may have been, it got the Bruins back
on the winning track.

“We needed this win tonight,” Adams said.