In a game that lasted just over three hours, one bad inning made the difference.
UCLA baseball (22-18, 6-6 Pac-10) dropped a nonconference game 6-2 in Malibu against Pepperdine (26-13, 8-3 West Coast) at Eddy D. Field Stadium.
Things began well as the Bruins got on the board first by scoring a run in the third inning. With one out, second baseman Niko Gallego doubled down the right-field line to put himself in scoring position. On the very next pitch, left fielder Alden Carrithers singled to shortstop. Carrithers’s speed caused an errant throw that got by the first baseman, allowing Gallego to advance home, scoring the first run of the game.
“We came in with a couple of wins from the series against Washington,” Gallego said. “We had momentum going into the first couple of innings.”
Starting right-handed pitcher Garett Claypool (1-2) was looking to repeat his stellar performance from a week ago against UNLV but struggled with his control. After escaping a second-inning jam in which he walked the bases loaded with two outs, Claypool retired only one of the six batters he faced in the third inning. In that frame, Pepperdine registered five runs, three of them coming on a home run to right field by Matt Adiem. In his 2 1/3 innings of work, the sophomore allowed five runs (four earned) on three hits and five walks.
“He had been throwing the ball well,” coach John Savage said. “He didn’t command the strike zone well enough today. Whenever you end up walking five guys over a few innings, it opens it up for big innings to happen.”
The pitching staff settled down after that, thanks in large part to sophomore right-hander J.D. Haver, who replaced Claypool in the middle of the third. Haver fared better, allowing a run on two hits in his three innings of work. Junior left-hander Brendan Lafferty contributed 2 2/3 of scoreless relief.
“Our bullpen has been really good,” Savage said. “They have kept us in a lot of ball games. Lafferty has been such a leader out of that bullpen and has been a gamer that wants the baseball. And I think Haver has been getting better and better every time-out as well.”
Even though the bullpen kept the deficit manageable, the UCLA offense was unable to string together quality at bats. Much credit goes to a Pepperdine pitching combination of Matt Bywater and Scott Alexander, which held Bruin hitters to three hits through eight innings.
The best opportunity to get back in the game came with the Bruins down by five runs in the ninth, where they rallied to load the bases with no outs. Then right fielder Gabe Cohen struck out looking on a close inside pitch. Outfielder Brady Dolan, who pinch-hit for Gallego, followed with a bloop single over the second baseman to score designated hitter Cody Decker from third and keep the bases loaded. Carrithers, representing the tying run, went down swinging for the second out of the inning. With a last chance to tie, third baseman Jermaine Curtis lined out to right field to end the ball game.
“We just couldn’t get our offense going,” Gallego said. “It is disappointing, but we know the offense is still there. Now we have to focus on these home games.”
The Bruins are set to return to Jackie Robinson Stadium tonight at 6 p.m. to face Loyola Marymount (20-23, 5-10 West Coast) in the second of their five games this week. Freshman left-hander Matt Grace is scheduled to take the hill and make his first collegiate start.
“We have to take care of Jackie Robinson Stadium,” Savage said. “It’s a big deal. The best teams that go on to Omaha command their home field. We need to make sure that we play better this week so we can add to those Ws at home.”