Baseball: Baseball avoids weekend sweep

Going into the bottom of the ninth inning Sunday against
top-ranked Stanford with the score tied, senior third baseman
Preston Griffin was looking for a first-pitch fastball from
Cardinal reliever Jeff Stimpson.

Stimpson (0-1) granted Griffin’s wish and Griffin took
advantage, blasting a walk-off homer to left field, his first of
the year, to lead off the ninth and give the Bruins (15-13, 1-2
Pac-10) a 6-5 win at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

The victory salvaged the last game of the three-game series
after the Cardinal (23-4, 2-1) captured the first two contests.

“Before I came up there, I said to myself, “˜If I see
a fastball, I’m going to take a big rip at it,'”
Griffin said. “It was a high, inside fastball. It was what I
dream about. Out of the box, I knew it was gone”

UCLA coach Gary Adams, watching from the clubhouse after being
ejected in the bottom of the sixth for arguing over some alleged
trash-talking between Stanford catcher Donny Lucy and UCLA second
baseman Mike Svetlic, believed Griffin could end the game with one
swing of the bat.

“I just finished telling my brother that Griffin could
easily hit one out of here. Just 30 seconds after I said that, bam!
Griffin hit it out,” Adams said.

However Griffin’s home run was not the only big hit of the
day for the Bruins. Just an inning earlier, designated hitter
Brandon Averill hit a two-run home run to center field to tie the
game at five.

Unlike Griffin, Averill was not expecting his high drive to
leave the stadium.

“I knew I hit it pretty well, but I also knew it was high.
I was just hoping it would go over the center fielder’s head
and I would end up on second base,” Averill said.

“That was clutch. I was so happy for him and for the team
when he hit that ball out,” Adams said.

Griffin’s home run gave the sixth Bruin pitcher of the
day, freshman Kevin Brophy, his second win of the year.

Sunday’s game concluded a wild weekend at Jackie Robinson
Stadium where 54 total runs were scored in the three games.
Stanford scored 31 runs while the Bruins finished with 23.

The wildest game of the weekend was Saturday afternoon. Stanford
scored eight runs in the top of the fourth inning to make the score
11-2.

But starting in the fifth inning, the Bruins scored 11 runs in
four innings to tie the game at 13. The rally was largely powered
by shortstop Ryan McCarthey, who had four hits and four RBI,
including two home runs. Center fielder Jarrad Page and left
fielder Chad Concolino also homered, each player’s second of
the year.

However, in the top of the ninth, Stanford third baseman Jonny
Ash hit a two-run home run to win the game 15-13. UCLA reliever
Adam Simon (0-2) got the loss for the Bruins.

Friday was the calmest day of the weekend as the Cardinal took a
11-4 win. Bruin ace Casey Janssen had his second consecutive poor
outing, allowing eight runs, seven earned, in six innings.

The weekend marked the first Pac-10 series of the year for the
Bruins.