14,588 fans filed into Dodger Stadium to see UCLA and USC

You hear it all the time out in the L.A. basin. Beaches. Mountains. Hollywood. Sunset Strip. Attractions. Theme parks. Good weather for doing anything outdoors. There are a lot of reasons people give for why attendance at college sports in this town is so weak. Especially for college baseball.

But today, maybe what we found out is that all it really takes is a big league venue. A crowd of 14,588 showed up for the second game of today’s DodgerTown Classic between UCLA and USC.

In today’s two games from Dodger Stadium, Vanderbilt held on to beat Oklahoma State, 7-6, and UCLA closed out an unbeaten weekend with a 6-1 win over Pac 10 rival USC.

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WHAT I SAW AT DODGER STADIUM TODAY.
- GAME ONE.

Vanderbilt – 320 002 000 – 7 10 3
Okla. State- 100 300 020 – 6 9 0

WP: Richie Goodenow (1-0)
LP: Thomas Keeling (0-1)
Sv: Russell Brewer (1)

- Key Moment:
Aaron Westlake strode up to the plate and swatted a two-RBI double in the first inning. An inning later, it was a two-run home run that put Vandy up to stay.

Aaron Westlake was the big boss with the hot sauce earning four RBI on a double and a dinger

- Game:
Okay, I know this ended up a one-run game, but you just got the feeling that the Commodores were indeed the superior team here in this one. The Black and Gold jumped all over the Pokes in the first two innings, racing out to a 5-1 lead on the power of 3-hole hitter Aaron Westlake, who had a two-run double in the first inning and two-run screamer to the seats in right to give them a lead that they never relinquished.

But things got a little shaky for the confident-looking Commodores. A trio of errors and some mound struggles didn’t help their cause. The bottom four batters in the lineup combined to go just 2-for-14. But moreso than anything, and truth be told, I also credit the grit of the Cowboys as a huge factor in this one going down to the wire.

Though they seemed overmatched early on, the Pokes didn’t trip over their lip and started gouging away with a pair of big innings in the 4th and 8th. No. 5-hitter Dean Green drove in the pair in the 4th by fighting off an inside pitch to right field. Once there, Vandy’s Joe Loftus bobbled the ball, allowing the second run of the inning to score. A bases-loaded double play plated the third run of the frame and brought OSU within one run again.

Things looked funky most of the game as the Cowboys hurt their own cause on numerous occasions. As an example, OklaState pitchers plunked five ‘Dore batters on the day and, in the 6th inning, allowed VU to pull away again with a bases-loaded wild pitch from newly inserted Andrew Heaney. A batter later, another run trotted home unscathed on a bases-load walk. That put the Commodores up 7-4.

OSU\'s comeback had Vanderbilt on the run, like here when Mark Ginter chased down Joe Loftus.

But it got a little hairy for Vanderbilt in the latter innings. Even with All American reliever Russell Brewer on the hill, the Cowboys showed no fear. The first batter he faced was Dane Phillips, who went through a 12-pitch at-bat with the bases loaded and sliced a two-run single to pull OSU back within a run.

Then, in the 9th, Brewer allowed an infield single to put the tying run on base to start the inning. But the ‘Dores pen stud settled in from there, getting a pop-up, a K and a ground out to end the threat and put a W in the win column.

“I think the anxiousness of playing out here might’ve bothered Russell a little, to be honest with ya’.” Coach Corbin told me afterward. “I know it’s coach-speak, but it really is a case of guys getting anxious to play out here early in the season and trying to do a little too much, especially in environments like today.”

The Commodores close the weekend on a pair of positive notes, getting today’s win and last night’s 10-1 shelling of USC, to help take the sting off of Friday’s loss at UCLA. It wasn’t a thing of beauty, but today’s win also showed Coach Corbin that his team could come through in the clutch.

“Nothing against their (OSU’s) bats, but we kind of gifted a run or two here, had some bobbles in the field and maybe could’ve increased the margin with some guys in scoring position that we didn’t get across.” Corbin explained. “But I told our guys that to play a one-run game adds a little bit of drama and a little drama isn’t bad because it may help you down the line. I told them ‘you gotta play with the game on the line in certain situations – you may not always want to – but in order to win those one-run games down the road, that’s what you’ve gotta do.’”

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GAME TWO:

U.S.C.- 000 010 000 – 1 7 1
UCLA – 000 010 23x – 6 13 1

WP: Erik Goeddel (2-0)
LP: Ben Mount (0-1)
Sv: Dan Klein (1)

(Steve Rodriguez gets the out call after tagging out USC’s Matt Hart.)

Key Moment:
In the 7th inning, with men on 2nd and 3rd, UCLA pinch hitter Justin Uribe bounced a bleeder just past USC SS Taylor Wrenn which scored both runners. UCLA wouldn’t trail again.

Game:
I caught up with Vanderbilt S.I.D. Thomas Samuel just after his Commodores had jumped out to their 5-1 lead early in today’s first game and told him tongue-in-cheek like, “Looks like you guys aren’t too bad.”

He said, “Yeah, but UCLA… THAT’s the team.”

I took it that he was basing a lot of his summation on the fact that the Bruins were able to drill the ‘Dores by a 9-2 count on Friday night.

On Sunday, it wasn’t a dominating Bruin team, but still a winning team none-the-less. Cross-town rival USC did enough to keep the Bruins off-axis for most of the game, but when crunch time came, the Blue and Gold was able to drive the point home – this is a Bruin town this year.

Yeah, I know, it’s early. You’re right. But the Bruins do seem to be in an early groove as they now sit at 6-0 after two weekends. USC falls to 3-4, coming off of two straight games where the offense was only able to score one run – including last night’s 10-1 loss to Vanderbilt.

After a tight battle through most of the game, Justin Uribe, a longtime senior leader, dribbled a single op the middle of a drawn-in infield to put UCLA ahead 3-1 in the 7th inning. That was a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

Nick Gallego added to things with a leadoff homer in the 8th inning and a handful of batters later, Uribe was at it again, supplying a bases-loaded walk to account for the final margin.

On the hill, beyond the vaunted combo of Friday-Saturday starters Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer, the Bruins got a good outing from Rob Rasmussen, who struck out six, gave up just one run and kept his fastball moving and in the low 90s his entire stint. The final 4.1 innings were split between Erik Goeddel, Mat Grace and saves-man Dan Klein, who combined to give up just two hits and struck out seven. This Boys of Westwood team, unlike the ones from the last few years, is hinting at having a lot of depth.

“We have a lot of depth. There are a lot of guys that are getting involved and that’s one of the characteristics of a good team.” Coach Savage continued. “We’ve got a lot of good arms and we’ve got a lot of confidence in those arms. We’re going to need all those guys in the bullpen to come through for us too.”

Again, it’s early, but this seems to be a special season brewing for the Bruins – having already turned this into a Bruin town after today. Hell, for all we know, this may be a Bruin state, conference and country before all is said and done.

“We’re playing well. We’re doing a lot of things well.” Coach Savage would say after the game. “We’re playing catch, we’re getting a lot of good pitching and a lot of quality at-bats. And we’ve got a lot of chemistry on this team.”

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SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD IDEA.
Coach John Savage was certainly a fan of today’s event at Dodger Stadium and the bigger-than-expected crowd.

“Great atmosphere. I can’t thank the Dodgers enough for what they did. Unbelievable atmosphere here. I think we should do it every year. The fans came out and supported us. I wanna thank all the Bruin fans.”

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“I SECOND THAT EMOTION.”
Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin seemed to second that notion of playing in Dodger Stadium.

“I was here with Team USA against Japan in 2000, so I’d been here before. But I think this was just a great environment, ya’ know.” Corbin told me. “To get to play in a major league park at this time of year where the surface is money, the weather is money and you don’t have to shovel any snow or anything like that just to play, it’s great. And I thought our guys really liked it and had a good comfort level.”

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THIS COULD’VE BEEN THE HOME OF THE COLLEGE WORLD SERIES.
Being here in Dodger Stadium reminds me that there is only ONE thing that the legendary USC head coach Rod Dedeaux did that angered me in all those years as the Trojan skipper and a great college baseball ambassador. In the mid-70s, Coach Dedeaux was an ardent proponent of moving the College World Series out of Omaha and into a big league stadium. And of course, his idea was to move the series to Dodger Stadium. Can you imagine the CWS being played somewhere other than Rosen… I mean, other than Omaha?

And even worse, playing the CWS in a town that doesn’t care much for college sports to begin with? Ewwwww. Luckily the idea died of silence and Coach Dedeaux was never able to accomplish his goal of moving the series to another big-time venue. I’m sure in the latter years of his life, he regretted ever having that thought and trying to push it through NCAA legislation.

Hey, we’re all human here.

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THE BEST AND WORST OF THE DAY.
Here is a quick run through the day of college baseball across the country.

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- THREE UP.

1- THE “I HATE TO BE REDUNDANT HERE” TEAMS.
East Carolina won the series vs. South Carolina and Coastal Carolina won the Baseball at the Beach showdown, going 4-0 for the weekend. Both plant their flags this weekend, claiming the Carolinas as theirs.

Pirates:
ECU supplanted their SEC bullies by pulling out a 4-2 win. Keep this weekend in mind when June rolls around and the NCAA selection committee is asked to explain why East Carolina has been given a home regional. Today, starting pitcher Brad Mincey gave up just three hits in 7.0 innings against a potent Cock lineup, throwing 70 strikes in his 109 pitches thrown.

Chanticleers:
Beat North Carolina State 6-3 to finish unbeaten on the weekend. This 4-0 run included a pair of wins over No. 4 UC Irvine and putting away the Wolf Pack today to help establish their identity in the Carolinas. CCU committed just one error in the last three games and Chance Gilmore, the coach’s son, blasted two dingers today to lead their offense.

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2-THOSE MID-MAJOR TEAMS THAT GO OUT AND BEAT THOSE BIG-MONEY PROGRAMS ON THE ROAD.
Southeastern Louisiana sweeps (yes, I just wrote “sweeps”) Mississippi STate in Starkville and LeMoyne (out of Syracuse, New York) wins the series at Southern Miss.

Lions:
Dear college baseball fans everywhere,
Go ahead and put the Lions on your “mid-major watch” list right now. If the NCAA tournament started today, SLU would be a one-seed, having beaten OVC champion Eastern Illinois in three straight and now going to Cowbell Town and sweeping three straight. (Hang on, lemme pinch myself here… okay. Thanks).

Dolphins:
THIS one is even more stunning. A team from upstate New York escapes the snow storms and wins a series against a College World Series team. Wow. Freakin’ wow! It’s pretty good that the Dolphins pulled this win out because they nearly gift-wrapped it for USM, giving up five unearned runs on the day in today’s 12-11 win.

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3- THE MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE.
This snowbelt conference was able to go 8-1 today overall in non-conference games. And, as you’d probably expect, all nine of these games were played on the road.

The amazing part was seeing that the MVC had won three of the games in extra innings:
- Creighton beat Stephen F. Austin in 10 innings, 9-8.
- Evansville scored five runs and beat Mercer 6-1 in 11 innings.
- Illinois State beat Duquesne 16-15 in 11 innings, completing their second win on the day.

In addition to those white-knucklers, two other MVC teams won a pair of one-run games.

- Indiana State beat UT-San Antonio 10-9.
- Missouri State finally got its first win of the year with a 5-4 win at UT-Arlington.

The lone loss on the day was Bradley dropping a 3-2 game at Memphis, in 10 innings.

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HONORABLE MENTIONS.
- Oregon pitchers.
Zack Thorton and Drew Gagnier combined on a 2-hitter in UO’s 3-0 win out on the islands at Hawai’i late tonight.

- Davidson hitters.
The Cats scored 17 runs in the 1st inning alone in a 29-7 win over Mount St. Mary’s. Nine players ended the game with multiple hits on the day. Also, DC not only beat the stew out of the Mountaineers, they also beat Presbyterian 11-5 to improve to 6-2 on the young season.

- Florida International.
Not many teams are expected to beat mid-major-monster Oral Roberts. But the Panthers pulled the trick with today’s 7-6 win in 10 innings. Turtle Thomas’ charges are now 6-0 to start the season. The Panthers will now travel to Arizona to take on UC Riverside, Cal Poly and Arizona State.

- Xavier.
Today’s 7-6 win over Georgia Tech was the programs’ first win over a Top 5 team in history.

Russell Muldenhauer is up to his old tricks, parking baseballs like he's in Omaha again. He hit his first home run of the year vs. Stanford today.

- Manhattan.
Won 12-7 at No. 10 Miami.
This was the MAAC favorite’s first win over a ranked team since beating Joba Chamberlain and No. 6 Nebraska in the 2006 NCAA tournament.

- Texas.
Swept Stanford with today’s 8-2 win.
The Longhorns use this weekend to rebound from the shocking series loss to New Mexico last weekend. So yes, all is well again.

- Greg Peavey, Oregon State.
The Sunday starter on the mound tossed a complete-game three-hitter to help OSU win the weekend series vs. Tennessee with a 1-0 win. Peavey also struck out nine and relented just one walk on the day.

- TCU.
The Frogs split today’s doubleheader at Fullerton, earning a getaway game 8-1 win in game two at Goodwin Field. Kyle Winkler, the starter on the mound, was pretty impressive, going 6.0 innings, giving up just four hits and improving to 2-0, also helping the Frogs win two-out-of-three on the weekend. Strong work guys.

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- THREE DOWN.
The three things that made this day such a college baseball bummer.

1- GEORGIA TECH’S DEFENSE.
The Rambling Wreck looked a lot like their nicknames here, committing four errors and allowing Xavier to score three of their runs unearned in a 7-6 loss to XU. This was Tech’s first loss of the season on the heels of seven wins.

2- SAN DIEGO’S BULLPEN.
The Toreros suffer a five-run 9th inning in losing to San Diego State, 9-5.

Things started off well enough as ace Kyle Blair went 6.1 innings, striking out 11 and giving up just three hits. But the work of Matt Hauser, Matt Thomson and Chris Jensen allowed five hits and six runs in 2.2 innings of work to lose what looked to be a comfy 4-0 lead going into the 7th inning.

3- MINNESOTA.
Lost to Louisville 5-4 today.
It was a painful weekend for the Golden Gophers at the Big 10-Big East Challenge. Of the three losses, two of them were by a single run, both 5-4 counts to L’ville and St. John’s back on Friday. The Gophers are now 2-4 going into their Dairy Queen Classic with LMU, Northwestern and Oklahoma State.

Okay, that oughta hold you guys until the next time.

G’night.