It almost seemed like the baseball team was the most comfortable in tough, high-pressure situations Tuesday night in its 15-8 mashing of UC Irvine.
The Bruins defeated the Anteaters in a marathon slugfest featuring 26 hits, 23 runs and 12 different pitchers.
It looked like UCLA (29-8, 14-4 Pac-12) would run away with the game after pulling ahead 6-0 after the first two frames, but UC Irvine (23-14, 10-2 Big West) put up a seven-spot in the third off starting pitcher Cody Poteet. The junior fell apart in the third inning after cruising through the first two.
Following sophomore first baseman Luke Persico’s error in the third, Poteet gave up two straight doubles, recorded a strikeout, then ended his night with a walk and a three-run home run.
It didn’t take long, however, for the Bruins to pick him up. Behind 7-6, UCLA rallied for nine more runs, scoring in four of the last five innings.
The Bruins scored 10 of their 15 runs with two outs, exhibiting patience and the ability to not let the situation get to their heads.
The bottom of the sixth inning was a prime example. After two quick outs, senior third baseman Chris Keck singled, starting a string of five straight hits from the bottom of the lineup that brought in four runs.
Sophomore right fielder Kort Peterson and redshirt junior center fielder Christoph Bono highlighted the red-hot bottom of the lineup, each marking careers highs with four hits. The bottom four spots combined for nine RBI, 13 hits and nine runs.
“We talked before the game about staying back, looking for our pitch (and) not getting too anxious, being patient,” Bono said. “I feel like I got myself in some good counts and was able to square up the ball.”
The bullpen once again boasted its depth, only allowing one run after the third inning, but the depth of the lineup was the spectacle of the night.
“I was talking to (coach John Savage) before the game, just having a (middle-opposite field) approach, and that’s what I stuck with and that’s what worked for me tonight,” Peterson said.
Sophomore designated hitter Brett Stephens, Peterson’s hitting mate in practice, exhibited the same approach – going 3-6 – and showed that he is nearing the impressive form he showed before he broke his thumb earlier in the season. Peterson said that the two learn from each other in practice, as they both try to improve their middle-of-the-field approach.
Savage said that he is seeing Stephens work back to his form from earlier this season, finding the middle of the field more often.
“If he can be more of a run scorer, then it makes our offense a little more dynamic,” Savage said.
The performance from players who aren’t starting every game pleased Savage, he said, because it gives him more options and sparks more competition in practice. He said that with the number of games coming up, the progress shown by second-string players is reassuring because they will need to step up when starters need breaks.
“When guys fill in and do just as good a job, then you’ve got competition on the roster, and you want competition in practice to carry over into the game,” Savage said.