Facing elimination for the second day in a row, the UCLA baseball team used another stellar pitching performance to stay alive.
Freshman Adam Plutko threw seven and two-thirds innings of the Bruins’ 4-1 win over San Francisco on Sunday to send the Dons packing. Plutko allowed just one hit and struck out six. He was removed in the bottom of the eighth inning in favor of freshman closer Nick Vander Tuig, who got the save.
Offensviely, UCLA got two hits each from junior Dean Espy, sophomores Cody Regis and Trevor Brown and freshman Pat Valaika.
No. 17 UCLA now faces UC Irvine in another elimination game at 6 p.m. If the Bruins win, the teams will face each other again Monday night. Freshman Zack Weiss is expected to get the nod in tonight’s contest, as he has been the Bruins’ Tuesday starter throughout the season.
He’s faced the Anteaters twice this season already, winning a 6-1 contest at home and losing a 2-1 decision in Irvine, allowing just seven total hits in those 14 innings of work.