After scoring 12 runs the day before, the Bruins couldn’t even reach third base on Sunday.
No. 17 UCLA baseball (15-5, 5-1 Pac-12) failed to complete the series sweep over Arizona State (12-12, 4-2), suffering their first shutout this season in a 4-0 loss at Jackie Robinson Stadium.
It was a shoddy conclusion to an otherwise successful weekend for the Bruins.
“It was good to come out with the series win, but we’re kinda disappointed with how we (finished),” said freshman designated hitter RJ Teijeiro. “I thought we’re capable of a little more and I thought we could have swept them.”
UCLA was held to just one extra base hit and six overall, as Arizona State’s senior left-handed pitcher Eli Lingos threw eight scoreless frames with eight strikeouts.
While this one game signaled possible offensive deficiencies, coach John Savage is happy with where his team is at the beginning of conference play.
“Losing the third game, getting shutout was difficult,” Savage said. “But we won a really tight grinding game on Friday and played really good yesterday. We didn’t have a great approach against that left-handed pitcher (today), but overall I thought it was a successful weekend.”
It also took six Bruin pitchers to throw as many pitches as the Sun Devil’s starter.
Jack Ralston took the mound once again for UCLA due to the Bruins’ shorthanded pitching staff. In just his third career outing in three years at UCLA, the redshirt sophomore threw 45 pitches in 4 1/3 innings, allowing four hits and the game’s first run in the fifth inning.
“I’ve pretty much just taken (this opportunity),” said Ralston. “Used all the hard work and my approach that I’ve put in the last two years and it’s paid off.
Nathan Hadley pitched in the sixth inning, but immediately loaded the bases. After striking out the next two batters, the redshirt junior gave up a two-run single increasing the deficit to three.
After more Bruin pitching changes, the Sun Devils tacked on an insurance run in the ninth inning by launching a triple to right field. UCLA went six pitchers deep, giving up a total of nine hits while striking out five batters.
Saturday was a different story to say the least, as UCLA trounced Arizona State 12-1 to earn the series win.
Zach Pettway started, improving his record to 4-0. The freshman, who pitched in place of the injured junior Jon Olsen, roster threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings with just four hits allowed before giving up a late home run with a 10-run lead.
“He does his job. He’s had some really, really good starts this year and yesterday was one of those grinding six-inning, 100-pitch outings,” said Savage. “I can’t say enough about him and the way he’s started off the season.”
The Bruin bats were hot from the start, scoring eight runs in the first three innings. UCLA outhit Arizona State 13 to seven and only struck out three times.
Freshman shortstop Kevin Kendall and Teijeiro, who both hadn’t started a game until this weekend, led the team with three hits apiece.
“We felt like we needed a little of a spark offensively. We like those guys,” Savage said. “They’re young hitters and it just showed our depth. We’re gonna have multiple matchups and we have some flexibility now that we can go to.”
The series opener Friday night went 10 innings before UCLA earned a 5-4 walk-off win.
Two pinch hitters were used during the extra frame. Sophomore Jarron Silva doubled to bring a runner to third, and sophomore designated hitter Kyle Cuellar drove in the game-winning run.
Cuellar hadn’t earned a hit in 26 at-bats dating back to UCLA’s opening series against Portland on Feb. 18.
The Bruins took an early four-run lead after two innings, and senior Jake Bird went six scoreless frames with three hits allowed to hold the lead. In the seventh inning, however, Bird gave up a homer and three more hits to make it 4-3. He ended the day with 111 pitches and through six starts this season, has a minuscule 1.17 ERA.
Injuries
UCLA came into the season with two potential starting pitchers in redshirt sophomore Kyle Molnar and junior Justin Hooper out with injuries. In the past two weeks, UCLA has also lost two more starting pitchers in Olsen and Sophomore Ryan Garcia.
Garcia, the normal Tuesday starter, sat out once again this weekend from an oblique injury suffered on March 14 against Northridge.
“Garcia looks like he’s going to throw tomorrow,” Savage said. “So we’re hoping he gets back, and we’re hoping to take him to Cal.”
Olsen, who suffered facial fractures against USC on March 11, had a successful surgery on March 16 and is expected to return in a couple weeks.
“He threw for the first time today and looked good, so that was really the highlight of the pregame,” Savage said. “Getting his movements back with his delivery and timing, it was great to see him out there.”
The Bruins are also missing starting freshman right fielder Garrett Mitchell, who is still recovering from a concussion.
UCLA gets a short rest before taking on California in an away series starting Thursday at 7:05 p.m.