It was a comeback that could have saved a season. And then it wasn’t.
UCLA baseball entered Tuesday’s game against UC Santa Barbara in a must-win situation. Coach John Savage said that his team had to win all seven of its remaining games – starting with UCSB – just to have chance to make the 64-team NCAA Tournament field.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Bruins played like a team that was well aware of what they were up against.
Down 3-0, they clawed back into the game, led by three of their most veteran players – redshirt senior center fielder Christoph Bono, senior shortstop Trent Chatterton and senior second baseman Brett Urabe. None of those players have had standout seasons at the plate, but each found a way to reach base in that crucial seventh inning. The result was a three-run, game-tying frame.
“Since I’ve been here, for the four years, seventh, eighth and ninth innings have been our innings,” Urabe said. “We always preach (that).”
Yet right as the Bruins started to seize control over the late innings, they lost it.
Just eight pitches into the top of the eighth inning, UCLA was already back down again. The Gauchos jumped on redshirt junior reliever Tucker Forbes, reaching on a first-pitch drag bunt and then driving a double down the left field line, scoring the runner from first base.
That one run was enough to secure a 4-3 UCSB victory that effectively ends UCLA’s chances of reaching the postseason. The Bruins (22-24, 11-13 Pac-12) entered the game with an RPI of 89, hoping just to get back within reach of the bubble.
“I wouldn’t say our back is against the wall, I would say it’s over the wall,” Savage said. “(But) we still have a chance.”
After the game, UCLA’s coach repeatedly used the word “disappointed” to describe how he currently feels about his team. The Bruins entered the year as a top-10 program, but now are second-to-last in the Pac-12 and one of the worst offensive teams on the West Coast.
“It’s obviously been pretty rough. We’re not used to this,” Savage said. “I’ve got to look at a lot of different things, personnel for sure, and we’ve got to get a lot better.”
Savage added that Tuesday’s game was a microcosm of the whole season: The Bruins got some men on base, but just couldn’t come up with the key hit when they needed it.
For instance, in the bottom of the ninth, UCLA got the tying run to second base with only one out. The next two batters were UCLA’s No. 3 and No. 4 hitters – junior first baseman Luke Persico and junior right fielder Kort Peterson. Persico failed to advance the runner, grounding out to the left side, and Peterson had a check-swing groundout to first base to end the game.
“That’s kind of been our MO all year: We can get hits, we can walk, we just have a tough time finding home plate,” Savage said.
By game’s end, the Bruins had 10 hits, but also left 10 men on base.
The Gauchos (33-15-1, 10-8 Big West) also struggled in some key spots, leaving nine men on base. But they made up for it with four stolen bases and a home run.
UCLA now has just six games remaining in its season, starting with a three-game set against Arizona State this weekend.