UCLA Baseball: Bruins Lose Heartbreaker to Southern Cal, Look to Even Series Today

Last night, UCLA blew a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the ninth inning, falling 5-4 to the Trojans.

UCLA’s Mikey Perez (Photo Credit: Don Liebig/uclabruins.com)

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The #10 UCLA baseball team (13-7, 2-2 Pac-12) will look bounce back from a really difficult loss last night to Southern Cal (10-7, 4-0 Pac-12), in which the Bruins blew a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the ninth inning, with all of the runs scored with two outs. Ouch. First pitch in game two tonight is at 9 pm PT.

Last Time Out

The Bruins lost a heartbreaker last night to their rivals by the score of 5-4. The loss wasted a great outing by Zach Pettway, who has rounded into form after starting out the season injured. Pettway threw seven innings, allowing three hits, and one run, while striking out three.

The teams started out even with both getting on the board in the second inning. Kyle Karros had an RBI single for the Bruins in the top half of the frame, while a Southern Cal RBI double evened the score after two innings.

JT Schwartz would drive a run in in the fifth inning with a single and again in the seventh inning with a fielder’s choice, spearheading the Bruins to a 3-1 lead. Michael Curialle added to the lead in the seventh with an RBI single. UCLA led 4-1.

Neither team would score in the eighth inning, and UCLA only mustered a single in a scoreless top of the ninth inning.

In the bottom half of the frame, Sean Mullin, who has been great for UCLA so far this season, allowed a lead-off single and a walk, but then retired the next two Trojan batters. With two outs, it seemed that the game was in hand.

It wasn’t.

Mullen walked two, the second one taking the score to 4-2, and then allowed a bases loaded single, which scored two runners and tied the score 4-4. Michael Townsend came in for Mullen and induced a ground ball to Matt McLain, who threw the ball away, E-6, allowing the winning Trojan run to score.

Frankly, it was an unmitigated disaster and I hope that UCLA puts that game in its rear-view mirror immediately because this team needs to re-focus.

#10 UCLA Baseball (13-7, 2-2)

Opponent: Southern Cal Trojans (10-7, 4-0)
Game Time: 6:00 pm PT, Saturday, March 27, 2021
Where: Dedeaux Field, Los Angeles, CA

Projected Pitching Matchup:
UCLA - Jesse Bergin, RHP, Jr. (3-1, 2.77 ERA)
USC - Chandler Champlain, RHP, So. (1-1, 5.16 ERA)

Media:
Live TV: Pac-12 Networks National and Los Angeles with J.B. Long and Wes Clements
Live Audio: uclabruins.com with Tim Wilhelm
Live Stream: Pac-12.com and the Pac-12 Now app
Live Stats: UCLA StatBroadcast

Game Notes:
UCLA

This is your UCLA baseball vs. Southern Cal Trojans game two open thread.


Go Bruins!

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