The UCLA baseball team’s season opener at Jackie Robinson stadium promised to showcase one All-American pitcher but it turned into a pitchers’ duel.
UCLA junior right hander and preseason All-American Gerrit Cole and San Fransisco junior left hander Matt Lujan went toe to toe at Jackie Robinson Staidum Friday, both pitchers throwing the entire game. They combined for 211 pitches, eight total hits, 34 at bats and 20 strikeouts. But in the end, Cole and the Bruins were the victors in a 1-0 finish.
Lujan gave up the only earned run of the game in the bottom of the first inning. UCLA sophomore third baseman Trevor Brown hammered a double to left and then stole third on a wild pitch. Junior first baseman Dean Espy singled to left to get the RBI. Brown finished with two of UCLA’s four hits on the day.
“All of the right handed guys and left handed guys had separate plans and I went up there and tried to stick with my approach,” Brown said. “I worked good counts and just put good swings on the ball and they happened to drop.”
The game marked Cole’s first complete game victory in his UCLA career. He gave up just four hits and one walk in his 2011 debut, striking out 11 to secure the shutout.
“It wasn’t too big of a deal because you’re prepared to go nine in your first start … I had full confidence in the guys in the bullpen to go out there and keep throwing up zeroes,” said Cole, who surpassed John Brandt for the No. 5 spot on UCLA’s all time striekout list.
UCLA coach John Savage opted to leave Cole in the game heading into the ninth inning rather than bring in true freshman Nick Vander Tuig to close.
“I just didn’t quite want to get his feet wet there in that situation,” Savage said of Vander Tuig. “If (Cole’s) pitch count would have been up, (Vander Tuig) would have been in the game but I thought it was Gerrit’s game to win or lose and when you’re talking about 92 pitches after eight innings, hey man, he’s deserves that and he’s earned that.”
Cole struck out USF’s No. 1 and 2 hitters, senior Connor Bernatz and sophomore Jason Mahood, to end the game after the Dons placed runners on the corners.
“He was as good as he’s been his entire career and we needed it,” Savage said. “One run was the difference.”
UCLA is set to start its other junior right handed All American, Trevor Bauer in Saturday’s game at Jackie Robinson Stadium. Game time is still set for 2 p.m. with a 70 percent chance of rain in the forecast.
Check twitter.com/dbsports for updates on game decisions.