The Bruins came back after losing their lead in the third rotation to take first place in the semifinal.
UCLA baseball starts series against Cal with 8-7 walk-off victory
Bottom of the ninth inning, tie game, bases loaded, two outs and a 3-2 count.
And sophomore right fielder Garret Mitchell drew a walk.
No. 1 UCLA baseball (29-6, 10-3 Pac-12) defeated California (19-13, 7-6) 8-7 in the series opener Thursday night at Jackie Robinson Stadium in walk-off fashion. After trailing 7-3 in the fifth inning, the Bruins scored five unanswered runs, with the last one coming from a bases-loaded walk by Mitchell to bring home the winning run.
The Bruins put three men aboard in the bottom of the ninth with the game tied at seven. With two outs, Mitchell worked a full count and said he felt he had the advantage because he didn’t expect right-hander Sean Sullivan to put it in the strike zone.
“I didn’t even think he was going to throw a strike,” Mitchell said. “He had to throw three strikes before four balls, so I let him take the time trying to throw the strikes. … I knew that he was more nervous than I was. He’s the one that has to throw it down the plate.”
Thursday marked the second walk-off win by the Bruins in less than a week after junior first baseman Michael Toglia hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth Saturday against East Carolina.
The Bruins put up two spots in both the fifth and eighth innings to tie the game at seven. Junior second baseman Chase Strumpf hit a two-RBI single to left to cut the deficit to 7-5 in the fifth, and sophomore shortstop Kevin Kendall slapped an RBI single to right before junior third baseman Ryan Kreidler was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to tie the game in the eighth.
The Golden Bears struck first in the game when catcher Korey Lee led off the second inning with a home run off sophomore right-hander Zach Pettway. California first baseman Andrew Vaughn – the reigning Golden Spikes Award winner – gave Cal a 2-1 lead in the top of the third with an RBI single to center field.
Cal did the majority of its damage, however, with a five-run fifth inning.
Third baseman Quentin Selma shot a three-run home-run over the batting cages in right field to give the Golden Bears a 5-3 advantage. After a double by Vaughn, Lee hit his second home run of the night to extend the lead to 7-3.
“We’re fortunate to win,” said coach John Savage. “Cal is clearly one of the better offensive teams out there, and they proved that tonight.”
Pettway lasted 4 1/3 innings and allowed seven earned runs on eight hits with three strikeouts. The sophomore holds a 7.94 ERA over his last four starts, with UCLA losing two of those four games.
Freshman right-fielder Jack Filby replaced Pettway and struck out both batters he faced to stop the damage in the fifth. The bullpen allowed zero runs and only one hit across 4 2/3 innings.
Senior designated hitter Jake Pries said the bullpen’s shutout performance was a significant help for the Bruins’ offense.
“That was everything,” Pries said. “They’re the ones that helped the offense out the most. … They were giving us a little mojo for the innings to come late in game.”
The Bruins first got on the board in the second with a sac-fly to left field by freshman center fielder Matt McLain. Pries roped a line drive over the left-field wall for a two-run home run to give the Bruins a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the fourth.
The Bruins will have the chance to clinch the series Friday at 7 p.m.
Gymnastics gets first place in semifinals of NCAA championship meet
This post was updated April 19 at 2:00 p.m.
FORT WORTH, Texas –– The Bruins will fight another day.
No. 2 UCLA gymnastics (9-1) took first place in the first session of the NCAA semifinals Friday in Fort Worth, Texas. The win secured the Bruins’ place in Saturday’s NCAA championship meet. Also advancing to the first-ever “Four on the Floor” from the first semifinal is No. 3 LSU.
UCLA took the lead after the second rotation, but lost it following their third event. With less than seven hundredths of a point separating first and third place, it came down to the final rotation and UCLA on floor exercise.
“As a team we always say we perform best under pressure,” said junior Kyla Ross. “We had a really solid meet overall. I know there were a few mistakes, but we’ve had this pressure all year and I feel like we have been able to handle that. We want to go up and have it feel like training, and we did today.”
The Bruins recorded five scores over 9.8000 on vault to start their outing. Ross posted a 9.9500 to tie LSU’s Kennedi Edney for the top spot on the event.
Freshman Margzetta Frazier, sophomore Nia Dennis and junior Madison Kocian all recorded 9.9000s to tie Michigan’s Olivia Karas for third place on uneven bars. The Bruins’ 49.4125 was enough to take the lead.
“To be on this team, you have to be ready to go no matter what the circumstances are,” Dennis said. “You have to be mentally strong and ready to go whenever the team needs you to be.”
Every Bruin scored 9.8000 or higher on balance beam en route to a 49.3625 team score – but it wasn’t enough to hold on to the lead.
UCLA logged a late lineup change on floor, replacing Frazier with junior Pauline Tratz in the leadoff spot and adding Dennis to the rotation. Behind a first-place score of 9.9500 from Ross and a second-place score of 9.9375 from junior Gracie Kramer, the Bruins clinched the win before their final competitor, senior Katelyn Ohashi, took the floor.
Ohashi scored a 9.9250.
The Bruins’ 49.6125 was the highest score on any event in the session and was the school’s highest-ever floor score at the NCAA championships.
“We always think of floor as a floor party, so it’s hard not to perform your best when you are on floor,” said coach Valorie Kondos Field. “I believe 100% that the music is what dictates the movement. If we had music on balance beam, we probably actually would have had better routines. They know that they are a great floor team and they know that they love to perform.”
No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 4 Denver, No. 7 Georgia and No. 8 Oregon State will compete Friday afternoon in the second session of the semifinals. The top two teams in that session will meet UCLA and LSU in Saturday’s final.
The Bruins will be competing for a repeat national title.
“It’s (Kondos Fields’) last meet, but it’s also my last meet,” Ohashi said. “I’m really excited about the future. It’s my senior year and it’s all about going out with a bang, so that’s what I plan to do tomorrow.”
Weekend in Preview: April 19
Beach volleyball
Jack Perez, Daily Bruin staff
For the first time in program history, the Bruins will be finishing their regular season right at home.
No. 1 UCLA beach volleyball (26-1) will close out its regular season with home duals against No. 10 Long Beach State (17-7) and No. 15 Grand Canyon (19-9) at Sunset Canyon Recreation Center on Saturday.
The Bruins faced both teams last season, winning 5-0 and 4-1 in two matchups with the 49ers and winning 5-0 over the Antelopes.
Coach Stein Metzger said after the team’s last game that the break between the Pac-12 North Tournament and the home finale would help his team focus up and recover from a tough stretch of playing five top-10 ranked teams in 10 days.
“We’re going into a two-week time period where we can train,” Metzger said. “We have some valuable video we can watch and take a look at. We hope that nobody gets sick or injured down the stretch. If that were to happen, I’d still feel very confident in the squad.”
UCLA lost its 25-game winning streak against No. 2 USC on April 7. The Bruins had won the previous six over their crosstown rivals, dating back to last season.
Seniors Megan and Nicole McNamara lost against the Trojans but have the opportunity to end their home careers with two more wins, along with fellow seniors Izzy Carey, Zana Muno and Sarah Sponcil.
Metzger said he hopes his team takes the loss in stride and his seniors get back on track in front of the home crowd one last time.
“In a sense, we’ve been wondering when somebody would challenge us like this,” Metzger said. “We can take the opportunity to take a deep look at what we want to do and what we want to change. It’s a lot easier to make adjustments and to learn from a loss than it is from a win.”
Women’s tennis
Dylan D’Souza, Daily Bruin staff
Stella Sampras Webster said the Bruins will play in their toughest road environment.
No. 10 UCLA women’s tennis (15-6, 7-2 Pac-12) will finish its regular season by traveling across town to face rival No. 15 USC (17-5, 7-2) on Saturday with the opportunity to even out the season series.
“Every time we play them, we’ve got to expect there to be some kind of issue or controversy,” Sampras Webster said. “The emotions are always really high which makes it really interesting.”
In the most recent matchup between the two Los Angeles powerhouses, USC overwhelmed UCLA 4-1 at the Los Angeles Tennis Center. The only point the Bruins picked up came on singles court one as redshirt junior No. 39 Jada Hart eased past then-No. 34 Salma Ewing 6-0, 6-2.
The Bruins have two top-50 singles players in their lineup, while the Trojans have only one top-100 singles player in theirs.
UCLA also boasts two top-15 doubles teams – a feat only rivaled by No. 2 North Carolina – which has helped the Bruins secure the opening point of the match nine straight times.
UCLA and USC are tied for second with No. 13 Washington (17-3, 7-2) in the Pac-12 conference standings behind No. 4 Stanford (18-1, 9-0), which is undefeated in the conference.
“(USC) will have their band and it’s their Senior Day so it’s going to be a great atmosphere,” Sampras Webster said. “I think our players will thrive on it.”
Women’s water polo
Claire Britton, Daily Bruin contributor
The Bruins will celebrate Senior Day during their final regular-season game.
No. 4 UCLA women’s water polo (21-4, 4-1 MPSF) will host No. 1 USC (22-1, 4-1) on Saturday in its final game before the MPSF tournament.
Out of the five conference games the Bruins have played, they have won every one except against No. 2 Stanford.
Senior goalkeeper Carlee Kapana logged twelve saves in the Bruins’ 7-6 loss to the Cardinal on the road.
The last time UCLA faced USC at the Triton Invitational, the Bruins walked away with a 10-3 loss. Junior attackers Maddie Musselman and Bronte Halligan and sophomore attacker Lexi Liebowitz were the three to each score a goal.
UCLA recently defeated No. 19 San Jose State by a score of 13-3, with major help from Halligan.
Halligan walked away from their game with a season-high and career-high-tying four goals on four separate shots.
In their game against the Trojans, the Bruins will be honoring the seniors: Grace Reego, Carlee Kapana, Louise Hazell, Lizette Rozeboom, Rachel Whitelegge, Sarah Sheldon, Kelsey Blacker, Allison Wieseler and Hannah Zari.
The Bruins will face the Trojans at 4 p.m. on Saturday at the Spieker Aquatics Center.
As spring game approaches, UCLA football emphasizes continued improvement
The Bruins have pushed themselves this spring.
Saturday will mark coach Chip Kelly’s second spring game with UCLA football, and the first time he’ll be running one with athletes who have played a full season under him. Kelly said with that experience, the entire team has been able to come together and enhance their training.
“I think the group as a whole has improved,” Kelly said. “It’s year two in our system, so I think their grasp of what we’re trying to get accomplished has increased, their knowledge of the game has increased.”
Coming off of a 3-9 season last year in which the Bruins finished fifth in the Pac-12 South, there was room for improvement – especially with their pass rush.
Rising redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Odua Isibor completed just one sack as part of the UCLA defense that finished the 2018 season ranked 118th in the nation with 15 sacks. Isibor said getting the pass rush back on track could mean a world of difference for the Bruins on the defensive side of the ball.
“We’ve definitely elevated it and gotten better. … It’s going to take a lot of pressure off our (defensive backs),” Isibor said. “They’re really solid and they’re doing their thing, so if we can get our pass rush going, I think we’ll have more of a complete defense.”
With UCLA having the fourth-largest percentage of underclassmen in the country last season, Kelly said that he will be looking for upperclassmen to direct their less-experienced peers – a role that rising redshirt junior defensive lineman Osa Odighizuwa has taken on for the defensive line. Odighizuwa played in 11 games last season and started the final eight, collecting three sacks and six tackles for loss – tying him for third most on the team.
“He’s the real veteran,” Kelly said. “(Odighizuwa’s) the oldest of that group. He’s got an unbelievable work ethic and a great motor, so he kind of sets the tone from an effort standpoint for those guys, and they all follow his lead.”
The defense has been practicing without one of their leading pass rushers from last season in rising redshirt senior linebacker Keisean Lucier-South, who has not played in most of the spring practices and won’t appear in Saturday’s scrimmage – choosing instead to focus on his academics this quarter. Lucier-South led the team in tackles for loss and sacks last season with 11.5 and 4.0, respectively.
“We’re just working harder, more reps,” Isibor said. “We just need to focus on what we’re doing, and (Lucier-South)’s going to get back to us when he’s done with what he’s doing.”
The quarterback battle has also continued throughout the course of spring ball. After rising redshirt junior Matt Lynch started taking reps at tight end and rising sophomore walk-on Josiah Norwood moved to wide receiver, rising redshirt sophomore Austin Burton has moved into the backup quarterback role behind presumed front-runner rising sophomore Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
Thompson-Robinson is currently considered the favorite for the starting job after playing in 10 games last season, but Burton and incoming freshman Chase Griffin have forced him to work harder for the starting spot.
“Everybody’s pushing (Thompson-Robinson),” Kelly said. “Those guys have done a real great job all spring long, and (Thompson-Robinson’s) pushing himself, which is the most important thing.”
Despite the improvements he’s seen the Bruins make over the last few weeks, Odighizuwa said the team needs to remember that practice is ongoing and there needs to be continued improvement in all areas of the game.
“I feel like I’ve made good strides, but it’s definitely not where I wanted to be,” Odighizuwa said. “Coach (Kelly) always talks about being obsessed with improvement, so it’s not something that I could ever be satisfied with.”
The spring game will take place Saturday at 11 a.m. at Drake Stadium.
Men’s tennis looks to capitalize on momentum to secure undefeated Pac-12 run
The Bruins have a chance to finish undefeated in Pac-12 play for the fourth year in a row.
No. 14 UCLA men’s tennis (14-4, 6-0 Pac-12) will take on No. 27 Arizona State (13-10, 4-2) and No. 24 Arizona (17-4, 3-3) on Friday and Saturday, respectively. The Bruins have won nine straight doubles points during their 10-match winning streak.
Redshirt sophomore Connor Rapp said that winning the doubles point to start off a match gives the Bruins momentum.
“To win the doubles point is huge no matter who you play,” Rapp said. “To only have to win three out of six singles matches helps our team a lot. It takes the pressure off of our singles players to have to win every match they play.”
Coach Billy Martin said the Bruins can’t rely on their doubles point, however, although it is a very helpful win when starting matches.
“It’s definitely very important, but not ultimately important,” Martin said. “I don’t try to make it too big a deal. That way, if it doesn’t go our way in doubles, we can still have the focus to come back and win the match.”
The Bruins have certain players on their roster that play either singles or doubles instead of both in a single match. Freshman Mathew Tsolakyan – who has been playing singles – said watching the doubles point has contributed to his play.
“The doubles point is pretty big,” Tsolakyan said. “When we’re winning doubles, only three of the six singles have to win, which is always possible if we bring our focus and play for the match.”
However, ASU will bring an eight-match doubles winning streak to Westwood on Friday. The ASU lineup boasts the No. 11 doubles pair in the country, Nathan Ponwith and Dominik Kellovsky. Two other ASU doubles teams were ranked in the top 70 as recently as March 5.
The Bruins’ court two doubles duo of Rapp and freshman Govind Nanda has won four and left two unfinished in their last six matches. Rapp said the experience they’ve earned playing together has helped them reach a high level.
“It’s really about confidence,” Rapp said. “We never really played together before, not in juniors, only a bit in preseason. So our first few matches together we struggled, but we won our first match at Stanford and have kept it rolling since.”
UCLA regularly juggled its doubles lineup in the first half of the season. Between injuries and duo changes, the Bruins started six different doubles lineups between Jan. 25 and Feb. 26.
Since having a constant doubles lineup set for UC Santa Barbara, UCLA has won every doubles point. Martin said cohesive success comes from individual teams performing well and creating team momentum.
“The momentum you create – it allows you to bounce back and stay successful,” Martin said. “Rapp and Nanda have both performed better recently. (Rapp’s) serving and volleying can do a lot for their success, and Govind has really had a chance to work on his doubles game more at UCLA.”
Injuries to players such as sophomore Keegan Smith and sophomore Connor Hance meant new lineups had to be formed in the beginning of the season. Only two players, Nanda and Tsolakyan, have played in the singles lineup for all 18 matches.
Tsolakyan said gaining the experience he has this year has helped him build his game for postseason play.
“Everybody is good; it doesn’t matter which team you’re playing,” Tsolakyan said. “There are no easy matches at this level. By playing more, I’m relaxed, playing point-by-point, which allows me to raise my level for each match we play.”
As UCLA wraps up its conference slate this weekend, two wins can seal an undefeated run in conference play and a fourth-straight Pac-12 regular season title for the Bruins.
No. 2 gymnastics heads to NCAA championship with second-straight title on the line
The Bruins will have to clear one more hurdle before securing another national title.
No. 2 UCLA gymnastics (9-1) will take on No. 3 Louisiana State (8-3), No. 5 Utah (8-2) and No. 6 Michigan (5-2) in the first semifinal of the NCAA championship Friday in Fort Worth, Texas. The top two teams from each bracket will compete in the finals Saturday.
The other side is made up of No. 1 Oklahoma (9-0), No. 4 Denver (3-1), No. 7 Georgia (7-4) and No. 8 Oregon State (4-3). In the past, the format of the finals has been a Super Six. However, this year the format changed to only four teams battling in a first-ever “Four on the Floor” competition.
The Bruins will head into the semifinal having recorded the second-highest score in the nation, a 198.400, which they earned at the Pac-12 championship. This was previously the top score in the nation until Oklahoma surpassed UCLA with a 198.475, posted at the NCAA regional final in Athens, Georgia, on April 6.
UCLA holds the highest rank in its bracket and has previously beaten Utah at a dual meet and the Pac-12 championship. Additionally, UCLA boasts high individual rankings, with athletes ranking first in all but one event.
Junior Kyla Ross is in the top five in every event, ranking first on vault, uneven bars and the all-around, and third and fourth on balance beam and floor, respectively.
Senior Katelyn Ohashi is first on floor and second on balance beam, while juniors Felicia Hano and Madison Kocian are sixth on vault and uneven bars, respectively.
Should UCLA reach the Four on the Floor on Saturday, it will likely face a similar challenge as last year – No. 1 Oklahoma. Last season the Bruins fell to the Sooners in a regular season meet before coming out on top at the NCAA championship.
This weekend will mark the end of the Bruins’ season, championship or not, as well as the end of coach Valorie Kondos Field’s time as head coach. Kondos Field has coached UCLA to seven national titles and could have the opportunity to win an eighth Saturday.