MIKE CHIEN Sophmore pitcher Mike Davern
unleashes his fireball of fury at the UC Irvine Anteaters.
By Scott Bair
Daily Bruin Reporter
It was Adam Berry trading card day at Jackie Robinson Stadium
for Wednesday’s contest against UC Irvine, but Berry was
nowhere to be found in the Bruin lineup.
Berry took the day off to rest his shoulder after falling
awkwardly while trying to make a diving grab in Tuesday’s
10-6 victory over Pepperdine.
The Bruin slugger was sorely missed yesterday, as the Bruins
lackadaisically lost 6-4 to UCI. The Bruins are lucky that
Berry’s injury is not serious and he just needed a day off,
because they were a different team without him.
The Bruins committed three errors in the first inning of
Wednesday’s game and didn’t look like they were in the
mood to play.
“These past two games were like night and day,” UCLA
head coach Gary Adams said. “We played well yesterday, but it
didn’t appear that we were ready to play today.”
The Bruin offense did not hit consistently and according to
Adams, did not make the right adjustments during the game. The
Bruins kept hitting the ball into the air despite a heavy wind
blowing in from the outfield.
The Bruins looked lost without Berry in the lineup. Right
fielder Ben Francisco went 0-for-3 and did not get a single pitch
to hit without Berry to protect him.
With the game tied at four, UCI pinch hitter R.J. Brown hit a
two-run double down the left field line to solidify the lead for
Irvine at 6-4.
Berry is normally the one who picks up the bipolar Bruin squad
when they’re down and settles them down when they’re
too excited.
He was the main reason why UCLA was victorious on Tuesday,
hitting two home runs and four RBI’s.
Berry was named the first Pac-10 Player of the Week for 2002 and
confirmed the Pac-10’s selection with blasts in the first and
fourth innings. Berry now has 13 homers on the season and nine in
his last 10 games.
Tuesday was not the first time that Berry has carried the team
on his back. He did so twice in last weekend’s series against
CSUN, but the Bruin bullpen could not turn Berry’s heroics
into victories.
The bullpen held up their end of the bargain on Tuesday.
Junior Wade Clark relieved starter Mike Kunes in the fifth with
a 6-5 lead. Clark came in and began to change the bullpen’s
battered image, allowing only one run and no walks in three innings
of work.
Clark had good movement on his fastball and was getting his
slider over the plate for first pitch strikes. He also added a
split fingered fastball to his reputation that left the Pepperdine
hitters clueless.
Clark held a tight lead and allowed the Bruin offense to do
their job without having to come from behind.
“I want to give the hitters confidence that the bullpen is
going to throw up a zero after they score,” Clark said.
The UCLA bullpen had a good day on Tuesday, but the team as a
whole didn’t look the same without Berry in yesterday’s
lineup.
Last night’s defeat was the last game for the Bruins until
they play Miami on March 23.
The bullpen will undergo some role changes before that day.
“I’m searching for someone in the reliever core to
step up, claim their place, and fight for their innings,”
UCLA pitching coach Gary Adcock said.
Luckily for the Bruins, Berry will be ready to play against
Miami.
Wednesday’s game is proof enough that they need Berry, the
heart and soul of the Bruin team, in the lineup.