Kyle Molnar seems to be growing with each subsequent start.
In his first start of the season – on Feb. 21 against North Carolina – the freshman appeared to only have one go-to pitch: the change-up. Molnar posted six strikeouts in that game with the change-up, but struggled mightily to locate his fastball.
As the starts have mounted for Molnar, however, his secondary pitches have started to emerge. Two weekends ago – against Texas – Molnar made vast strides with his fastball, locating it more effectively to get ahead in the count. He finished that game with his first win as a Bruin, allowing just two earned runs in five innings.
“We’re going after people with the fastball – that’s our style, really,” said coach John Savage after that game. “We want to get (Molnar) into our brand, our style, our mold – and I think he’s starting to do that.”
Now, Molnar is just adding more pieces to his repertoire.
In Sunday’s 11-2 win over Washington State, the freshman righty showcased a revitalized slider. Earlier in the season, Molnar’s slider was hardly a factor; on Sunday, it suddenly became a strikeout pitch.
Molnar finished the game with 11 strikeouts in seven innings – the second-highest strikeout total by a Bruin pitcher this season. At one point, Molnar struck out eight straight Cougar batters.
“I think that slider took a big jump today,” Savage said. “I mean that was a true swing and miss pitch, and we hadn’t really seen that.”
And it’s not like Washington State is a weak-hitting team, either. Though the Cougars (7-12, 0-3 Pac-12) aren’t the Pac-12’s elite record-wise, they have shown some considerable power early this season. Entering their series with the Bruins (11-7, 3-0), the Cougars were tied for second in the conference with 12 home runs.
“(It’s) a very aggressive team,” Savage said.
One that tagged UCLA for four home runs in the first two games of the weekend series.
But Molnar put an end to that Washington State power surge on Sunday. The freshman held the Cougars to just one extra-base hit in the game – a first-inning double by Patrick McGrath.
“It was a battle the first four innings; and then the fifth inning, I just fell into a groove,” said Molnar, who allowed both of his earned runs in the first three innings. “All three pitches were for strikes. I mean, that’s why I dominated those last three innings.”
As dominant as Molnar was on the mound, it was almost a moot point, because UCLA’s offense was putting up so many runs. The Bruins were just 7-for-28 at the plate, but drew six walks and had a big three-run homer – courtesy of redshirt senior Eric Filia.
Outside of Filia, sophomore first baseman Sean Bouchard once again proved to be a run producer. The sophomore picked up at least two RBI for the third straight game, bringing his season total to a team-high 16.
“There’s definitely a lot of things that I can still improve (on),” Bouchard said. “Thankfully my teammates have been on base for me. … I definitely wouldn’t have had the weekend (I had) without them being on base.”