The Bruins’ offense has told the story for the past month.
UCLA hit just .251 at the plate during its 2-8 stretch throughout the first half of March. Entering this weekend, the club boasted a .327 average in its last five contests – all victories.
The Bruins’ winning streak ended at six Saturday, but their bats stayed hot, as UCLA (13-12, 6-3 Pac-12) defeated Arizona State (12-14, 2-7) Friday and Sunday, claiming its second straight series.
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“We’re stringing a lot of quality at-bats together. They’re just really fighting with two strikes. It’s kind of grown throughout the lineup – just battling,” said coach John Savage. “It’s contagious, and people are being a part of this thing right now.”
The Bruins had a big inning early on in Friday’s matchup.
Following a walk, groundout and an error by Arizona State, freshmen infielders Chase Strumpf and Ryan Kreidler each smacked RBI singles. Sophomore center fielder Daniel Amaral later scored in the inning to give UCLA a 3-0 lead.
After adding a run in the fourth on an RBI single from Amaral, the Bruins were kept off the board before delivering the finishing blow in the final inning.
UCLA entered the ninth up 4-3, but shelled Arizona State reliever Chris Isbell for five runs on four hits to extend the lead.
Junior pitcher Griffin Canning struggled in his previous four starts prior to Friday, owning a 5.79 ERA across 18 2/3 innings. But the ace returned to form over the weekend, yielding just two runs in 7 1/3 innings while fanning eight.
“He got away from his release of the baseball. … It seemed to creep up a little bit,” Savage said. “We got it back to where it should be, and it seemed like he was a lot more consistent. He found his rhythm a lot more.”
A pitcher’s duel highlighted most of Saturday’s game.
Senior Moises Ceja and Arizona State’s Chaz Montoya each tossed five scoreless frames before allowing runs in the sixth.
UCLA took a 1-0 lead in the sixth after Amaral sliced an RBI single through the right side. The Sun Devils answered back in the bottom of the inning, plating a pair of runs from a solo home run and RBI triple off Ceja to claim a 2-1 lead.
Kreidler and redshirt sophomore catcher Daniel Rosica helped reclaim the lead with RBI-doubles in the seventh. But the UCLA bullpen couldn’t protect it, as Arizona State tallied three runs in the bottom of the inning.
The Bruins had opportunities in the eighth and ninth, but couldn’t produce a game-tying knock, ending their six-game win streak after a 5-4 loss.
“The bullpen gave up three runs in the seventh – it was the difference in the game,” Savage said. “If we hadn’t lost that game, we’re talking about eight or nine (wins) in a row. (But) whenever you win a series at Arizona State, in the Pac-12, you feel really good about it.”
UCLA’s offense lit up the scoreboard Sunday, knocking in 17 runs on 15 hits.
The Bruins accumulated six doubles altogether and 10 players notched at least one hit. Strumpf led the way, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and seven RBIs.
Sophomore pitcher Jon Olsen earned his second straight victory, surrendering two runs – both came off solo home runs in the first and sixth – in 6 2/3 frames. The starter now owns a 3.69 earned run average on the year.
“I said all along: I like this team,” Savage said. “I think now people are seeing what I like about it. We still have a long, long way to go, but I think we’re headed in the right direction.”