John Ramey is a sports anchor for KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO in Los Angeles. He also serves as the internet play-by-play voice for the UCR baseball team and contributed this blog from Saturday's loss to Cal State Northridge.

   
Maybe it's the weather. I've unscientifically reviewed the 2008 Riverside season and two meteorological trends emerge. 1) When the gametime temperature is over 90 degrees, the Highlanders are 0-3. 2) When the game time temperature is over 90 degrees, Highlander pitchers have a hard time getting outs.    

So it was in Westwood two weekends ago, when semi-Santa Ana-like conditions arose, and UCR got spanked 18-7 and 9-4 by UCLA. So it was today, with the mercury above 90, and Matt Larkins getting knocked around for 6 runs in the first inning. UCR ultimately coughed up 14 runs to the Matadors, which is a lot of runs no matter what kind of regressive analysis you throw at it.   

I absolutely contend that the weather had something to do with that gaudy number going up in the first frame; Northridge 3rd baseman Ryan Pineda hit a bases-loaded flyball to right field in the first that, when first leaving the bat, I began assessing its viability to be a sacrifice fly. But, the warm conditions and consistent breeze blowing out to right took over, and it just kept carrying and left the yard for a grand slam. I'm not sure who was more surprised: Me, or rightfielder Joey Gonzales, who broke in earnest to make a play on it only to run out of room.   

Paul Bargas goes tomorrow (Sunday)...and while he got smacked around in the hot weather against UCLA, he has deceptive stuff that just might have the CSUN hitters just a bit overanxious, trying to replicate Pineda's heroics in the longball-friendly heat. Stay tuned...

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