Bruins heat up for victory in New Orleans

By Jeff Agase
Daily Bruin Staff

Sunny Southern California and balmy Hawaii had made the UCLA
baseball team go cold. Frigid New Orleans got them hot again.

The Bruins (10-10) braved near-freezing game day weather to take
two of three games from Tulane for their third series win of the
year, winning 9-7 and 10-4, and losing 4-1.

The wins finished off a week that saw UCLA win three of four and
end a six-game losing skid that began in Hawaii and continued back
at home.

“We needed two wins,” junior center fielder Ben
Francisco said. “It was nice to come in and win in their
yard, where they’re really strong.”

Maybe “yard” isn’t the best way to describe
the field of play ““ it was more like tundra. A cold front
ripped through the Southeast, bottoming out temperatures and
dumping consistent precipitation.

“Sitting on the bench was the coldest thing I’ve
ever been through in my life,” sophomore pitcher Chris
Cordeiro said.

Friday’s game was rained out, and game two of
Saturday’s doubleheader nearly was as well. But the Bruins
proved that a bunch of guys from California can, in fact play in
the cold, reading the Tulane pitchers well enough to steal six bags
on the weekend and consistently maintain a presence on the
bases.

After all, they had to keep warm somehow.

“Their team had these hand warmers and we took it
personally,” Cordeiro said. “We wanted to show them
that we’re not just sissies from L.A.”

The still-unproven Bruin bullpen held on in the final innings of
Saturday’s first game to record the 9-7 win. UCLA had opened
it up with a four-run sixth inning that included a bases-loaded
walk, an RBI sacrifice fly and a Casey Grzecka double.

David Johnson, Kevin Jerkens and Billy Susdorf each put in just
over an inning and didn’t let Tulane’s late offensive
surges get out of hand. Senior Adam Berry also hit his seventh home
run.

A 44-minute rain delay in the top of the first cast doubt on the
future of game two Saturday, but the game went on, lightning and
all. The Bruins might have wished it never happened.

They managed just one hit in the first six innings against Green
Wave starter Nick Bourgeois and scored a single run for the game, a
Susdorf RBI single in the seventh. Bruin freshman Wes Whisler was
solid through six, limiting Tulane to four runs, and Brandon
Averill threw two perfect innings in relief, but the offensive
support wasn’t there.

It came back in Sunday’s game, just as Tulane’s
defense took a day off. The Green Wave managed as many hits as
errors ““ five ““ and the Bruins ran repeatedly on
starter Ray Liotta.

Redshirt freshman Matt Thayer stole two bases, while Francisco
nabbed three ““ including home.

“We got a feeling for when they were going to try and
pick, and their lefties were real slow to the plate,”
Francisco said.

Casey Janssen surrendered just four hits in six innings and Mike
Kunes, the starter in last Tuesday’s win against UCSB, shut
out Tulane for the last three stanzas.

Ңbull;Ӣbull;Ӣbull;

The Bruins host Loyola Marymount (5-11) this afternoon at 3 p.m.
at Jackie Robinson Stadium. The Bruins won the first meeting this
season, 7-2.