Last season, the UCLA baseball team played three regular-season games that went to extra innings, all of them wins in conference play.
Over the weekend in Lincoln, Neb., the No. 5 Bruins (7-4) matched that number, playing 34 innings in three days and ultimately losing the series to Nebraska (8-4) at Haymarket Park.
Each of the three games was decided by one run, and pit two powerful pitching staffs against each other.
UCLA’s Friday ace Gerrit Cole threw nine shutout innings in the series opener but received no help from his teammates at the plate.
Freshman closer Nick Vander Tuig held his own in relief of Cole and got the win as juniors Tyler Rahmatulla and Dean Espy were finally able to push a run across in the top of the 11th.
A day later, Vander Tuig was at it again. Junior right-hander Trevor Bauer had a career day, striking out 17 Cornhuskers in 10 innings of work ““ both career highs for him ““ before Vander Tuig entered. The offensive teammates of the young closer, who pitched in the 11th and 12th innings, couldn’t get the win for him again, remaining hitless since the third inning.
Cole threw nine innings for just the second time in his career and Bauer labored to throw 129 pitches Saturday, yet neither All-American recorded a decision.
“We win as a team and lose as a team,” UCLA coach John Savage said of the team’s hitting. “We’re going to win some 10-9-type games as well.”
Sunday, the Bruin bats exploded out of the gates, scoring three runs to give the Bruins an early advantage. After another run in the fourth, UCLA freshman Adam Plutko was in line for the win.
Savage flipped the script and didn’t go with Vander Tuig late in the game, giving freshman Zack Weiss and redshirt junior Mitchell Beacom a chance to salvage the weekend.
But as consistent as the UCLA bullpen has been this season, the two combined to give up four runs and let Nebraska tie the game in the bottom of the ninth.
“(Vander Tuig) is not ready to go three days in a row,” Savage said. “It’s too early in the year.”
Beacom surrendered a walk-off home run on his first pitch of the 11th inning to Cornhusker sophomore second baseman Bryan Peters to end the game and send the Bruins home with their second series loss in as many weeks.
Just one week after a 22-hit domination of San Jose State in a 12-2 win, UCLA could muster only 19 total hits over three games against Nebraska and left 27 on base.
“Guys are trying to do too much right now, and we just need to start relaxing again and having fun,” Rahmatulla said. “That’s when we play our best.”
The Bruins will now have three consecutive days to practice in preparation of this weekend’s Dodgertown Classic ““ a rarity for a team that usually plays Tuesday nights.
“We’re going to get after it pretty good this week,” Savage said.
“We’re not playing the way we’re capable of playing so we’re looking forward to the weekend, but we’ve got to get better at practice on Tuesday.”