The offensive production was there. The bats were cracking and the base paths had runners.
But the Bruins just couldn’t convert.
Tuesday night in Santa Barbara, UCLA (2-2) fell to the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (3-1), 7-6, in its second consecutive loss.
It wasn’t that the Bruins lacked a strong offensive attack. Seven of the nine Bruins in the lineup recorded hits. UCLA had a total of 18 base runners.
“We swung the bats well, got some good contact,” coach John Savage said. “It was a back-and-forth game that just didn’t go our way.”
Junior first baseman Casey Haerther and senior designated hitter Cody Decker each went yard in the first inning, giving the Bruins a 3-0 lead. Haerther went 2 for 4 on the night with 2 RBIs. Decker went 2 for 5 and also batted in two runs.
The Gauchos’ bats took form in the second. UCSB senior third baseman Robby Cummings hit a three-run shot, evening out the score at 3-all. The Bruins would come back to tie in the fourth but gave up three runs in the fifth. The Bruins would add two more runs, including a solo home run by senior second baseman Eddie Murray. It would not, however, be enough to claim the lead.
While UCLA managed to put up solid offensive numbers, the Bruins couldn’t get enough base runners to cross home plate.
The Bruins left a total of 10 stranded on base, leaving the bases loaded in the second and fourth innings. In the second, Haerther lined out to center. Decker struck out looking in the fourth.
Haerther noted the Bruins’ inability to respond effectively to the Gauchos’ performance.
“In coming from behind we struggled,” Haerther said. “We were up in the beginning, then we just didn’t produce.”
Each of the Gauchos in the lineup tallied a hit.
Sophomore left-hander Matt Grace started on the hill for the Bruins, going 4 1/3 innings and giving up six runs, five of them earned, on four hits. He issued two walks and struck out two.
“I thought Matt (Grace) did a great job coming in as a reliever and staying competitive,” Savage said. “He did a really god job.”
Tonight, the Bruins will host the UC Riverside Highlanders at Jackie Robinson Stadium. Last April, UCLA swept UCR in a three-game series at Jackie Robinson.
UCLA will have junior left-hander Gavin Brooks on the mound in his first start of the season. He will oppose the Highlanders’ senior right-hander Ryan Platt.
Brooks went 6-3 last season with a 5.07 ERA, tallying 62 strikeouts in 71.0 innings. Brooks made a relief appearance in the Bruins’ 8-7 11-inning loss to the UC Davis Aggies on Sunday evening.
Savage said that despite Tuesday’s loss, the Bruins will enter tonight’s matchup looking to play another nine innings.
The Bruins are in the midst of a schedule that has them playing their first 18 games of the season in 24 days.
“(Tonight) is just another game,” Savage said. “The way the NCAA packs the schedule, we just got to keep coming out and playing the game.”