Trojans Only Add to Bruins’ Misery

When John Savage was hired in July to coach UCLA, college baseball insiders predicted that he would have the Bruins back on the national scene and challenging for Pacific 10 Conference championships in short order.

But it won’t happen this season during which the Bruins have gone in a direction no one imagined -- straight down. USC added to its rival’s woes by completing a three-game sweep with a 6-0 victory Sunday that stretched the Bruins’ losing streak to a school-record 17 games.

For UCLA (7-21, 0-6 in the Pac-10), it has been a challenging transition year after the retirement of longtime coach Gary Adams. The Bruins, who lost eight players from last year’s NCAA tournament team to the major league draft, are off to their worst start since 1994.

“You have to remain positive,” Savage said. “You have to let them know that there’s more than half the schedule left. Obviously, we’re having a tough time getting over the hump.

“We’re in a horrendous stretch. I think anybody can see that.”

USC Coach Mike Gillespie feels for his counterpart, at least to the extent any Trojan can sympathize with a Bruin. Savage spent five years on Gillespie’s staff before becoming the coach at UC Irvine four years ago.

“I think everybody knows that it’s about the future for them,” Gillespie said. “I’m sure they knew that coming in, but when you’re going through it ... it’s very painful. It’s difficult.”

After losing the first two games by scores of 11-1 and 9-0, the Bruins needed some kind of break. USC (21-9, 6-3), which has known its own lean times the last two years, didn’t give them one.

Shortstop Blake Sharpe hit the first pitch from UCLA starter Bryan Beck over the right-field wall and wound up going four for four. Sharpe also started a three-run sixth inning with a single and would score the Trojans’ second run on a well-executed squeeze bunt by Billy Hart.

Baron Frost capped the rally with a two-run single and Matt Cusick later hit a two-run homer in the eighth to rev up the mostly cardinal-and-gold-clad Dedeaux Field crowd of 1,276.

Zack Kalter, Anthony Encinas and Michael Friedman combined on a seven-hitter, with Encinas (2-1) going four innings to get the win.

“Our pitching and defense have really been great this year,” Sharpe said. “We gave up one run in three games against UCLA in a huge series. Regardless of their record, it’s always going to be a tough battle with them.”