Nick Vander Tuig was looking for a double-play ball. He just didn’t expect it to nearly take his face off.
With runners at the corners and no outs in the ninth inning, the freshman closer nabbed a screaming liner hit up the middle and doubled the runner off of first. The play helped UCLA hold on for a 5-2 win over California on Sunday afternoon, a victory that ensured a series victory for the Bruins (31-20, 16-8 Pac-10).
“I had no time to react,” Vander Tuig said with a smile. “I threw the pitch, saw it coming and made a play on it.”
UCLA won Saturday and Sunday to clinch the series after dropping Friday night’s opener to Cal (30-18, 13-11).
On the day he was honored in a pregame ceremony, senior Chris Giovinazzo put on a show. The right fielder and leadoff hitter went 3-for-4 and scored three runs.
“You just want to have fun,” Giovinazzo said. “It could have been the last time I play on this field, so I just wanted to enjoy it.”
Saturday’s game ended on a feisty note, when Trevor Bauer appeared to exchange words with Cal’s Devon Rodriguez as the UCLA junior pitcher covered first to record the game’s final out. Both benches emptied, although things didn’t escalate into a brawl.
“There was a lot of energy yesterday,” UCLA coach John Savage said. “There’s a lot of things that go on in baseball. Guys sometimes chirp at each other. Fortunately both teams went about it the right way today.”
It was another tough-luck performance for junior pitcher Gerrit Cole on Friday. The right-hander went seven innings and gave up just one run but took the loss in a 4-0 Cal victory.
After Sunday’s win, Savage credited his team for bouncing back to take the series.
“It’s huge,” Vander Tuig added. “We’ve been getting the job done on Saturdays and Sundays. Those games have been huge for us to help us win series.”
Freshman Adam Plutko continued his stellar run of starts. The right-hander gave up just two runs in eight innings to win his fourth consecutive start and run his record to 6-3 on the year. He has proven quite the supplement to Cole and Bauer at the front of the UCLA rotation.
“We trust Plutko as much as those guys,” Savage said. “He’s competed all year. He’s beyond his years, maturity wise.”
UCLA’s win on Sunday appeared even larger once results from around the Pac-10 started to trickle in. Oregon State and Arizona State both lost on Sunday, meaning the Bruins are now tied with the Sun Devils for second place in the conference, just one game behind the Beavers.
Although Sunday’s contest closed out the home schedule, the Bruins are still holding out that they could have another game at Jackie Robinson Stadium. With the Pac-10 race still open, UCLA’s dreams of hosting a regional are still intact.
And so is Vander Tuig’s face.