A supposed challenge turned into a cakewalk. Real quick.
Friday night, UCLA baseball began a three-game home series with Michigan State, which held the nation’s 25th-best team ERA and two left-handed starting pitchers. Meanwhile, UCLA’s offense entered the series ranked No. 6 in runs per game but had yet to face a pitching staff of that caliber.
With Michigan State’s strong pitching facing UCLA’s standout hitting, it seemed like the weekend’s series would be a compelling one.
It was – for about an inning and a half.
Michigan State jumped out to the first lead of the series, building a 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning Friday.
Then No. 8 UCLA rallied off 23 unanswered runs over the next 19.5 innings en route to sweeping the series in blowout fashion.
“This week, we were definitely trying to take a shift in the at bats. We were definitely more aggressive,” said senior first/third baseman Chris Keck.
On Friday, UCLA (10-1) answered Michigan State’s two-run top of the second with a six-run output in the bottom half of the inning. The Bruin barrage forced Spartan starter Mick VanVossen out of the game by the end of the frame.
The next day, UCLA’s offense got of to a slightly slower start facing its first left-handed starter of the season. The Bruins mustered only two runs over the first five innings against the Spartans’ Cam Vieaux, but had a left-handed pitcher of their own to back them up. Senior southpaw Grant Watson stepped up with seven innings of shutout ball, allowing only four Spartans to reach base.
By the time Watson’s work was done and the bottom of the seventh ensued, UCLA’s offense reciprocated its pitcher’s quality start with a three-run inning that ensured the win for both Watson and the Bruins.
“We go out there and it’s comforting as an offense when pitchers go out and have good innings and have good tempo, throw up zeroes,” said junior outfielder Ty Moore.
In the final game of the series, UCLA came out with an aggressive offense once again, jumping on Michigan State’s best starter – lefty Anthony Misiewicz – to the tune of four runs over the first 2.1 innings. Meanwhile, UCLA’s Sunday starter – junior Cody Poteet – picked up where Watson left off the night before, delivering three innings of shutout ball before being forced out of the game because of a rain delay that lasted an hour and 40 minutes.
UCLA eventually won the rain-shortened game 4-1 in five innings, capturing the series sweep with a 23-3 scoring margin over Michigan State (3-6).
“We put up a big number on Friday, five (Saturday), we put up three today off of a pretty good left-handed pitcher. Pretty positive,” said coach John Savage. “I mean, whenever you can win a series and play a Big Ten team like Michigan State, who I think is certainly a playoff team, you know I think you have to be pretty excited.”