The Bruins needed a hit to complete the comeback – one that would claim a series against the No. 1 Oregon State Beavers.
During game three, UCLA baseball entered the bottom of the ninth inning down 2-1 to Oregon State, but had an opportunity to tie or win the game after tallying two hits and a walk, each off a different Beaver pitcher.
Coach John Savage said a flare or a ground-ball single would have won it. But as fans from both sides cheered and clapped, freshman outfielder Jeremy Ydens swung and missed on a 2-2 fastball, handing the Bruins a 2-1 defeat.
“Today could have gone either way – it came down to one pitch,” Savage said. “You have to give a lot of credit to both teams, it was a dog fight. … We battled and competed and we played pitch to pitch with them at the end of the day.”
UCLA (18-18, 10-8 Pac-12) managed to steal a 7-1 win from Oregon State (32-3, 16-2) Saturday, but lost the series overall following a 4-2 loss Friday, along with Sunday’s defeat.
Both teams’ starting pitchers cruised for much of Sunday’s match.
Jake Thompson, one of Oregon State’s MLB prospects, kept UCLA hitless through six innings, but sophomore Jon Olsen matched him pitch for pitch, yielding just two hits in 6 1/3 innings.
But the Bruins managed to score off Thompson in the seventh.
Freshman third baseman Jack Stronach sliced a double down the left-field line after UCLA knocked two hits and a sacrifice bunt earlier in the inning.
“I got down to two strikes and I was just thinking, ‘Drive something the other way,’” Stronach said. “He ended up throwing me a fastball and I just fought it off and hit it the other way.”
Oregon State responded in the top of the eighth after a questionable call. Beaver infielder Nick Madrigal sliced an out-out liner down the left-field line off senior Scott Burke, which looked to be foul.
Oregon State followed it up with a single and sacrifice fly to tie the game up at one.
The Beavers led off the ninth with a walk. After a passed ball that moved the runner to second, infielder Michael Gretler stroked a single up the middle to plate what would be the game-winning run.
Even with the series loss, players said Saturday’s win would be a confidence booster, especially heading into a matchup with Long Beach State on Tuesday.
“We played with a lot of energy and a lot of competitiveness,” said junior first baseman Sean Bouchard. “I think we can really carry that over into next week and obviously the rest of the year, and at this point, with a month left, every game counts.”
Saturday’s blowout
UCLA rebounded from Friday’s loss with a 7-1 victory thanks to an abundance of hits early on.
It took the Bruins just three at-bats to get on the board after a leadoff single by senior outfielder Brett Stephens, a sacrifice bunt and an RBI single by Bouchard. The hit parade didn’t end there, as three more runs came across in the inning to make it 4-0.
The second inning was much like the first, as UCLA led off with back-to-back singles, followed by a sacrifice bunt. Bouchard then roped a double into right field to give the Bruins a 6-0 lead.
Freshman shortstop Ryan Kreidler concluded UCLA’s scoring in the third with a line-drive solo home run to left on a 3-1 fastball.
Senior Moises Ceja earned his second win of the year after tossing a career-high six innings, allowing just four hits and one walk while striking out six.