It’s been seven days since the Bruins scored double digits, but their offense is back at it again.
No. 7 UCLA baseball (30-10, 14-4 Pac-12) hung 12 runs on UC Irvine (25-18) in a 12-0 victory Tuesday night, avenging its 8-1 loss to the Anteaters at home April 17 and extending its win streak to eight games. The Bruins’ staff pitched a combined shutout, their first since Feb. 25 against Baylor.
The shutout was spearheaded by redshirt sophomore pitcher Jack Ralston, who entered the game with a 7.00 ERA. Ralston pitched last week against Cal State Fullerton, allowing 1 earned run in 4.2 innings. Ralston battled Tuesday through four scoreless innings despite allowing seven men on base.
“With the injuries we’ve had, we’ve needed everybody,” coach John Savage said. “Some guys are throwing the ball pretty good and they’re stepping up, and that’s what they need to do.”
Ralston shaved over a run off his ERA, but only recorded one strikeout. He is throwing 2.45 strikeouts per nine innings on the season, but he was able get out of some early jams by forcing six groundouts.
“(I) just went out there and pounded my zone, used my defense,” Ralston said. “I’m a ground-ball guy. I just know what works and what doesn’t.”
The UCLA runs came early and often, starting the night with a 2-run first inning. Sophomore first baseman Michael Toglia, who was 3-for-3 in the game, came up to bat with the bases loaded and slapped a single to right field to put the Bruins up 1-0.
“We came out swinging the bats,” Savage said. “Obviously we put some good at-bats together so it was a good way to start the week.”
UCLA scored on three straight at-bats in the third inning, first off a single from junior designated hitter Jake Pries. An RBI-double from junior centerfielder Daniel Amaral and an RBI-single from freshman right fielder Garrett Mitchell made it a 5-run lead for the Bruins.
Amaral entered the game with a .331 batting average, good for fourth on the team. He finished the night 2-for-3, notching a double, triple and 3 RBIs, extending his hitting streak to eight games.
The Bruins erupted for 5 more runs in the fourth en route to a double-digit lead. After Toglia drew an RBI-walk, Pries stepped up to bat with the bases loaded. Pries rocked the first pitch he saw over the left-field wall for his first home run of the season and his first grand slam of his UCLA career.
“I was just ready to play,” Pries said. “It felt good to get (a home run) in. There will be some more to come for this Bruin team.”
UCLA has just two more nonconference games left on the schedule in 2018 and both will be played at home.
The Bruins are back in action Thursday night at Arizona at 6 p.m.