Mustangs Split Doubleheader with Bruins

Buckets of rain washed away the first game of the locally anticipated Cal Poly versus UCLA baseball series this weekend at Baggett Stadium. However, two of the originally scheduled three games were salvaged on a sunny, Monday afternoon. The weather more than cooperated, as the second day of spring and the promise of the sunshine brought the innocence of anew following the recent storm.

In game one, the Mustangs held on late to win a tightly-contested pitcher’s duel. Mason Radeke hurled 7 2/3rds solid innings for Poly, walking one and striking out eight. The Mustangs plated their two runs with RBI singles in the 5th and 6th innings. Coach Larry Lee was “small-balling” the Bruins defense all game, as Poly successfully executed five sacrifice bunts.

With Radeke cruising in his shutout coupe into the 8th, Bruin 3rd baseman Cody Regis blasted a solo home run, getting a ball up into the draft that was blowing out to left field all day. After Radeke then give up a bases on balls, Coach Lee went to Mustang Junior closer, Jeff Johnson, to get the final five outs and shut the door. Johnson, who’s fastball touches 95mph, came into the game having struck out twelve batters and walking zero in seven innings of relief work thus far this season.

Johnson induced a fly out to left and after the potential tying run stole 2nd, got a swinging strikeout for the third out with his “out” pitch — a nasty, professional-level split-fingered fastball. In the 9th, Jimmy Allen made a great catch on a slicing line drive into left field for the first out of the inning. Denver Chavez then handled a ground ball at second, and Johnson stuck out the final batter swinging, in true closer fashion.

Mustangs win 2-1. Cal Poly had 2 runs, 8 hits, 0 errors and left 6 on-base. UCLA finished with 1 run, 5 hits, 0 errors and left 4 on base.

In game two, UCLA turned the burner up to “high.”  They looked motivated, having lost such a close contest after endurung the past three nights in the Embassy Suites Hotel watching raindrops drizzle down the windows.

Tyler Rahmatulla lead off the top of the 1st with a double into the right-center field gap. He was then sacrificed to third, and team RBI leader Dean Espy lined him home. After another single, Poly catcher Jordan Hadlock saved a wild pitch with runners on 1st and 2nd, only to then try and back-pick the runner at second, throwing behind him and skipping the ball into right field. Cal Poly southpaw Kyle Anderson then walked the bases loaded and proceeded to walk in the second UCLA run in the 1st inning.  He only then narrowly escaped further damage by finally recording the third out.

Starting the contest by giving up two runs in the top of the first put the Mustangs at a disadvantage. The fact that they were facing UCLA ace pitcher Trevor Bauer made it seem like they were instead down five or six. Bauer, a 20-year old junior who enrolled at UCLA at age 17, and who last season lead the entire nation in strikeouts (165) is expected to be a first round pick in this year’s draft. Bauer showed not only the physical talent to back up the hype, but also showed a bit of the “it” factor. Every inning he sprinted to the mound and threw his first warm-up pitch before the Cal Poly outfielders were even halfway back to their dugout.  Great pace, kid.

UCLA extended their lead to 3-0 in the second inning after the Mustangs failed to record outs due to errors on two consecutive Bruin sacrifice bunt attempts. At that point it seemed circus music was faintly audible in the distance.  Coach Lee then gave Anderson the hook and replaced him with Joey Wagman. The right-handed reliever fared no better than Anderson, as before Poly was able to retire the Bruins in the top of the second, the scoreboard read UCLA 6, Cal Poly 0.

Bower then proceeded to throw dart after dart after dart. In the bottom of the second he struck out the side, all swinging and all on high fastballs. After the third inning was in the books, it was 6-0 Bruins, and Bowers’ strikeout total was at six.

On the Mustang side of the mound, Wagman settled down by changing speeds and mixing in a straight change-up well with a fastball that could barely break a plane of glass. Wagman retired eight in a row into the 5th inning as the early evening shadows began to creep towards home plate.

The Bruin flame-thrower continued to simply overpower Mustang hitters through the 6th, with his mid 90’s fastball still popping and his nearly untouchable, sharp-breaking curve ball buckling knees. Bower was pulled after the 7th with the decision already in hand, notching twelve total strikeouts.

UCLA had 8 runs, 11 hits, 1 error and left 7 on-base. Poly finished with 0 runs, 3 hits, 2 errors and left 5 on base.

The story for the day for the Mustangs was their day and night performances between game one and game two. For how well they proved they can win close games versus quality opponents in the first game, they also showed how easily they can lose their way for an entire game simply by making a few early mistakes in the second.

What was taken from the UCLA side of things was the utter dominance of Bauer. The only negative thing that was viewed from the coach in me was how violent his delivery is. Once this kid reaches the professional level this winter, his mechanics are going to have to be extremely simplified to prevent future injury.

Bauer’s wind-up and release is most comparable to Max Scherzer when he was a first-round pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks out of the University of Missouri. It is a slow culmination that turns rapidly into a thrashing of knees and elbows, followed by an extremely violent whip that lacks anything resembling a balanced finish. As the seams hit the leather, Bauer was consistently recoiling towards the first base foul-line, which ultimately puts a lot of undue pressure on the arm.

The only explanation of the lack of quality mechanics you usually see at this level could very well be a situation where the talent out-weighs the coaching. UCLA’s pitching coach could be doing a lot more for the sake of an elite talent such as this, but it seems he is obviously just letting the kid do his own thing, which is unfortunate.

The laugh of the day occurred late in the second game. Cal Poly infielder Michael Hoo, a sophomore from Cupertino, was substituted in for clean up duty at first base. “Hoo” was literally on first. What? I don’t know? Third base!

The Mustangs (7-9) travel to Pepperdine tomorrow for a single-game afternoon affair, only to return back home to host the Minnesota Golden Gophers for a series this upcoming weekend. See you at the ballpark.