Christoph Bono didn’t see the ball go under the shortstop’s glove.
But the smattering of UCLA fans still occupying the right-field line at Dodger Stadium was jubilant enough that Bono knew something good had happened.
The center fielder’s 14th-inning bouncer gave No. 21 UCLA baseball (6-5) a 5-3 victory over No. 22 USC (6-5) Sunday in a five-hour bullpen battle that concluded the Bruins’ 3-0 showing at the weekend’s Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic.
“It was a great game by both teams,” Bono said. “I think we definitely gave the fans something that they’ll remember and certainly something that we’ll remember for the rest of our lives.”
With the bases loaded and two outs, Bono hit a dribbler past the mound that skipped under the glove of Trojan shortstop Reggie Southall, who was charging forward quickly in hopes of throwing out the speedy Bono.
The play was ruled an RBI single for Bono, plus an error on Southall for allowing Bruin redshirt senior right fielder Eric Filia to score from second for UCLA’s fifth run.
GALLERY: Relive all 14 innings of UCLA’s win with Daily Bruin Photo.
It had been more than nine innings since either team had scored, each offense stifled by the opponent’s troupe of relievers.
The Bruins received seven combined innings of relief work from freshman Brian Gadsby and junior Scott Burke.
Gadsby produced the best outing of his college career, working four scoreless frames after coming on for an injured redshirt junior Tucker Forbes in the eighth. USC pushed runners into scoring position in the 10th and 11th innings against Gadsby, but the young reliever pitched out of both threats.
Just like Gadsby, freshman right-hander Kyle Molnar turned in his best performance yet, holding the Trojans to three runs in a five-inning start.
“This was a major step in his development – against a very good team on a very big stage,” said coach John Savage. “I think you saw a starter coming into his own a little bit. I mean, it’s not perfect but we’re not really looking for that.”
Molnar, who struck out four and walked none, gave up all three runs in the first two innings before settling in.
In the first, USC No. 5 hitter AJ Ramirez drove in two runs with a two-out triple that powerful winds helped push over Filia’s head.
“I don’t like to use the word ‘Candlestick Park’ in Dodger Stadium but those winds – the first four or five innings – were tough,” Savage said. “It was swirling and the flags did not tell the story, the flags were blowing one way and the ball was reacting the other way. That ball took off, the ball Ramirez hit.”
An inning later, the Trojans turned to small-ball tactics to tally a third run. After reaching first on a hit-by-pitch, second baseman Frankie Rios moved to second on a single, stole third and came home on a safety squeeze by center fielder Lars Nootbaar.
The Bruins quickly battled back, thanks to junior left fielder Brett Stephens’ impressive day at the plate. Stephens, who entered the game with just three hits on the season, pounded out four Sunday, including three in his first three at-bats.
“It’s nice to kind of break through but I know I’ve been hitting the ball hard,” Stephens said. “When you hit the ball hard, (hits) come.”
The junior notched his team’s first run in the third when he shot a double to left-center, reached third on a passed ball and scored on an infield single by Filia. Stephens then tied the game in the fourth, capping a two-out rally with a line-drive triple to right field.
UCLA senior second baseman Brett Urabe helped out Molnar in the freshman’s final frame, making the play of the night to turn a double play. Urabe dove to stab a grounder up the middle and flipped the ball to second with his glove to start the twin killing. Molnar struck out USC cleanup hitter Timmy Robinson, who went 0-7, to end the inning.
Then the bullpens took over for both teams, providing the crowd of 9,000 with what felt like an epic affair.
The win was the 400th of Savage’s UCLA career, but that’s not the only reason the coach cherished the victory.
Before play started, Savage had dedicated the game to Scott Muckey, a longtime San Fernando Valley high school baseball coach who died Saturday morning at the age of 63.
“I just thought it was a great day for Southern California baseball, in a lot of ways,” Savage said. “‘Muck’ was looking down on us and you had two quality programs competing against each other in an iconic stadium, a legendary ballpark.”
It was a clean game, too, as each team made just one error in 14 innings.
“It was one for the ages, really, in terms of how well that game was played,” Savage said.