The Bruins solidified their spot atop the national rankings in this weekend’s Showdown Out West.
No. 1 UCLA baseball (23-6, 9-3 Pac-12) dropped the first game of the series to No. 2 Stanford (20-5, 7-2) 3-2 Friday night, but won 11-5 and 10-7 on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, to clinch the series in Stanford, California. The Bruins outscored the Cardinal 23-15 over the weekend, tied for their second-most runs scored in a series this season.
“I think we proved that we’re the team to reckon with,” said junior first baseman Michael Toglia. “No game is going to be easy and we’re going to fight until the end.”
The series opener was decided when the Cardinal walked off with a two-out, bases-loaded single in the bottom of the ninth. The Bruins trailed 2-0 by the top of the frame, but an RBI double by junior third baseman Ryan Kreidler and an RBI, pinch-hit single by sophomore catcher RJ Teijeiro evened the score at two.
The Bruins’ offense produced nine hits Friday — compared to the Cardinal’s ten — but left nine men on base. Despite loading the bases with one out in the eighth, juniors second baseman Chase Strumpf and left fielder Jack Stronach struck out to end the inning without a run.
“Runs are hard to come by on Fridays,” said coach John Savage. “It’s always a little different hitting on Friday night against No. 1 (pitchers).”
Sophomore right-hander Zach Pettway endured his longest outing of the season in his eighth consecutive Friday start with 7 2/3 innings. Pettway let up a solo home run in the first to give the Cardinal a 1-0 lead, but pitched more than six scoreless innings before giving up another run in the eighth. Pettway’s night ended with five strikeouts, two walks and two runs allowed off eight hits.
The Bruins evened the series Saturday afternoon with a season-high 15 hits – five belonging to Stronach, setting a new career-high for the junior.
Senior designated hitter Jake Pries kick-started the offense in the first with a two-RBI triple down the right field line. Pries later scored in the inning off Stronach’s single to the right side that gave the Bruins a 3-0 lead.
The Cardinal responded with four runs over the next two innings off redshirt junior right-hander Jack Ralston to take a 4-3 lead. Three of the runs were unearned, however, because of two Bruin errors.
UCLA claimed the lead for good when Toglia stepped up to the plate in the fourth. The junior shot the ball over the left field fence for a two-run home run to make the score 5-4.
Toglia led UCLA with five RBIs – the most for a Bruin this season – and said the Bruins’ approach at the plate sparked their offensive production.
“On Saturday and Sunday, we came out a little more aggressive,” Toglia said. “We were more aggressive to our approach and executing our plan at the plate.”
The Bruins added four insurance runs in the following frame with RBI doubles by Strumpf and Stronach, a sac-fly by Pries and an RBI groundout by Toglia. Another two runs were added in the seventh off Toglia’s two-RBI double down the right field line to make the score 11-5.
After Ralston allowed five runs over five innings, the Bruin’s bullpen didn’t allow a hit over four scoreless frames.
Junior right-hander Ryan Garcia got the nod in his second consecutive rubber match after facing off against USC last March 31. Garcia again picked up the win to clinch a series victory for the Bruins, striking out a career-high 11 batters over seven innings of work.
“I did go after them,” Garcia said. “You have to be locked in with Stanford.”
The Bruins held a 2-1 lead in the third after two sac-flies from Pries, but a three-run home run from designated hitter Will Matthiessen gave the Cardinal a 4-2 advantage.
After senior third baseman Jake Hirabayashi hit another sac-fly to cut the deficit in the fourth, the Bruins poured on the runs in the seventh.
Kreidler began the rally with a two-RBI double to give the Bruins a 5-4 lead. Four more runs were added that inning after a sac-fly by Stronach and a three-RBI triple off the right field wall by freshman center fielder Matt McLain.
Toglia walked with the bases loaded in the following frame to give the Bruins their tenth run – the Bruin’s sixth time reaching that mark this season.
The Cardinal responded with a solo home run and two-run home run in the seventh and eighth, respectively, but it wasn’t enough to surpass the Bruins’ second consecutive double-digit game.
Garcia said the series displayed the strength of UCLA and the conference as a whole.
“We proved that we can hang with the best of them,” Garcia said. “We also showed that the Pac-12 is the best conference in the country.”
The Bruins will return to Jackie Robinson Stadium to face UC Irvine on Tuesday at 6 p.m.