UCLA Baseball Faces North Carolina Again in Elimination Game After Outlasting Army, 13-6

The UCLA and UNC play at noon PT, with the winner playing again at 4 pm PT versus Texas Tech.

UCLA reliever Kyle Mora had a nice outing yesterday, throwing 2-1/3 innings, allowing two hits and no runs, earning the victory. (Photo Credit: Scott Chandler/uclabruins.com)

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The UCLA baseball team (36-19) lived to fight another day yesterday afternoon, fighting off a pesky Army team by the score of 13-6. Army is eliminated and the Bruins will face North Carolina (28-26) today in another elimination game at 12 pm PT. The Tar Heels lost to regional hosts Texas Tech last night by the score of 7-2.

The winner of today’s UCLA-UNC game will play again at 4 pm PT against Texas Tech. Should the Red Raiders lose that game, the same two teams will play a winner-take-all contest on Monday.

Last Time Out

UCLA was finally able to shake Army yesterday after both teams traded punches through the early and middle innings. The Bruins would plate runs and the Black Knights would come right back and score. UCLA never trailed, but Army kept hanging around.

That stopped after the fifth inning wehn each side plated three runs a piece and the score was 9-6, Bruins. Although UCLA led by three, they felt vulnerable.

Bruin reliever Kyle Mora was the steadying force. He came on with two outs in the fifth inning and Army already having scored three times and with runners at the corners and the tying run at the plate. He induced a line out to center field.

UCLA would manufacture a run in the sixth inning on a walk, a ground out, a wild pitch, and a safety squeeze. It was the third safety squeeze attempted by the Bruins on the day, with two of the three finding success.

With UCLA leading 10-6, Mora retired the side in order in the bottom half of the frame and get through the seventh allowing allowing only one hit. Sandwiched in between those two frames was the top of the seventh inning when the Bruins scored three runs on a JT Schwartz solo home run and a clutch, two out, two-RBI single by Noah Cardenas. Cardenas narrowly missed a home run down the left field line just moments earlier as the ball just missed the foul pole. Nevertheless, after seven innings, UCLA led 13-6 and neither team scored in the eighth or ninth innings.

After giving up an uncharacteristic home run on Friday night, Adrian Chaidez pitched the last two innings for UCLA, coming into the game after Mora allowed a lead off single in the eighth. Chaidez allowed only one hit in the non-save situation. UCLA starter Sean Mullen had a tough outing, allowing three runs through 3-2/3 innings. Mora earned the win for UCLA, allowing just two hits and no runs in 2-1/3 innings.

UCLA had a lot of stars at the plate, but it was the heart of the lineup in Matt McLain, Schwartz, and Kyle Cuellar that did most of the damage. McLain was 2 for 5 with three RBI and a run scored. Schwartz was 2 for 4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Cuellar went 3 for 5 with two RBI.

Outlook

While Friday night’s game versus the Tar Heels was a pretty even match-up due to UNC’s Friday ace, Austin Love, the Bruins will not face a starting pitcher today that is at the level of Love and that gives UCLA an edge. Although the Bruins have not announced a starter, it’s reasonable to assume that UCLA Head Coach John Savage will throw Zach Pettway (2-5, 4.89 ERA).

Pettway, the Bruins’ Friday starter during the regular season, has not been himself this season after starting the campaign on the shelf. Pettway did have a decent outing in his last start at Arizona State, but was gifted with 12 runs of support before he was lifted after five innings. Today will be a higher pressure situation and UCLA will likely not score 12 runs in the first five innings.

Aside from that, it will be an all-hands-on-deck approach by both teams as each tries to avoid going home for the season. This favors the Bruins, who have a more consistent bullpen than the Tar Heels.

Texas Tech is truly in the cat bird seat, able to pitch its usual Sunday starter in the second game today while the winner of UCLA v. UNC will either be pitching their midweek starters or scrambling in a “bullpen game” with a tired bullpen.

NCAA Baseball Lubbock Regional, Day 3

When: Sunday, June 6, 2021
Where: Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Stadium, Lubbock, TX

Game 5

Teams: UCLA Bruins (36-19) vs. North Carolina (28-26)
Game Time: 12:00 pm PT 
Live TV: ESPNU & ESPN3
Audio: uclabruins.com with Tim Wilhelm
Live Stream: WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app
Live Stats: UCLA StatBroadcast

Probable Pitchers:
UCLA - TBA
UNC - TBA

Game 6

Teams: Texas Tech (38-15) vs. Winner of Game 5
Game Time: 4:00 pm PT
Live TV: ESPNU & ESPN3
Audio: texastech.com
Live Stream: WatchESPN.com and the ESPN app
Live Stats: UCLA StatBroadcast

Probable Pitchers:
Texas Tech - TBA
UCLA/UNC - TBA

Lubbock Regional Tournament Hub

Official NCAA Lubbock Regional Preview

Regional Notes
UCLA
UNC
Texas Tech

This is your Lubbock Regional games five and six preview.

Go Bruins!!

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