UM 5 - UCLA 3, and Another Talented UCLA Sophomore Enters the Game
By Adam Aizer - February 10, 2007
So UCLA starter Brendan Lafferty fails to make it past three innings. He allowed five runs on six hits.
His exit paved the way for Jason Novak's entrance into the game, and I am impressed. Novak breezed through the fourth inning, retiring the bottom of the Miami order without a ball leaving the infield.
On a quick side note, I had a terrifying moment in the top of the fifth inning. Bruins first baseman Tim Stewart, a right-handed hitter, was leading off. He crushed a ball down the left field line. Deep. Deep. Foul ball. Right in the neighborhood of my car. When I parked the car, I said to myself, "somebody is really going to have to crush a foul ball to hit this thing." Well, that somebody was Tim Stewart.
I didn't hear the alarm go off, so he must have missed. But on the very next pitch, he did the same exact thing. Once again, very deep and very foul to left field. Once again, no alarm. Maybe I'll park somewhere else tomorrow.
Back to the game...
Novak, a sophomore righty from Agoura, California, had it easy in the fourth against the weak part of the UM order. Now it was Weeks, Jackson, and Alonso due up in the bottom of the fifth.
Novak retired Weeks on one pitch thanks to a great defensive play by third baseman Nolan Rouse. Weeks tried to bunt his way on, and he was denied. Then Jackson grounded out to second, Alonso walked, and the cleanup hitter Mark Sobolewski grounded out to the shortstop.
Novak is throwing hard and throwing strikes. I'm guessing he's hitting the low 90s consistently on the radar gun
Last night I predicted that Miami freshman Eric Erickson would be in the Canes rotation by the end of the year. I'll make the same prediction about Novak. He's been very impressive in his two innings so far.
Heading to the top of the sixth inning, UM leads 5-3.
Posted by Adam Aizer at 09:19 PM on February 10, 2007
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