Approaching the last few games of the season, the sense of urgency for the UCLA baseball team is at its peak.
With seven games remaining on their schedule, the Bruins are straddling a fine line. One loss too many could mean the forfeit of UCLA’s shot at a postseason berth.
On Tuesday night, the Bruins (25-24) capitalized on solid pitching and big bats to further themselves along the road to securing a playoff bid, providing hope for a future beyond the regular season.
UCLA’s convincing 15-2 victory over the visiting Long Beach State Dirtbags (24-24) gives the Bruins a taste of confidence heading into its final contests of the season.
“We have a good opportunity still ahead of us,” senior designated hitter Gino Aielli said.
The Bruins will face three baseball programs over the next two weeks who are ranked in the nation’s top five by Baseball America. Despite the tough schedule, the Bruins are confident in their ability to rise to the challenge.
“Our biggest strength right now is our resilience,” junior right-hander Garett Claypool said. “We’ve had some ups and downs but we’ve stuck with it.”
On Tuesday, Claypool pitched 4.1 innings and allowed just two earned runs on seven hits. He matched his career-high in strikeouts with eight. The right-hander tossed a total of 86 pitches, 59 of which were strikes.
Claypool’s standout pitching effort was accompanied by more than enough run support from the Bruin lineup. UCLA recorded multiple-run innings in all but three of its frames at the plate.
After 2.1 innings of work, LBSU freshman starting pitcher Josh Corrales departed upon loading the bases in the bottom of the third. UCLA would proceed to have its biggest inning offensively, tallying four runs on a walked-in run and a three-RBI double by sophomore right-fielder Chris Giovinazzo.
Four Bruins recorded multi-hit games with Aielli and junior left-fielder Justin Uribe each going 3-for-3.
Freshman catcher Steve Rodriguez belted his second homer on the season in the bottom of the eighth, capping off a persuasive and productive evening at the plate for UCLA.
Despite a decidedly one-sided performance, the Bruins’ postseason future is far from as clear. Savage did not specify how many victories he thought the Bruins would need in order to earn a post-season berth, but the sense of urgency will remain regardless.
“We’ve got to keep winning,” he said.
HAERTHER RETURNS: Junior third baseman Casey Haerther returned to the infield Tuesday night for the first time since injuring his left toe during the Bruins’ April 9 game at Stanford. He filled the role of designated hitter during his hiatus from defensive play.