UCLA
Oregon State
Five-Run 8th Inning Leads Bruins to Series Clinching Win over OSU
April 05, 2015 | Baseball
LOS ANGELES – Trent Chatterton drove in the game-winning run, in a five-run eighth inning, to lead UCLA to the 10-5 win over the Oregon State Beavers. The victory extends the Bruins' streak of seven consecutive series victories to begin the season. UCLA also maintains first place in the Pac-12 Conference.
With the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the eighth of a 5-5 game, Chatterton slashed a single the opposite way through the right side of the infield to bring in what turned out to be the game-winning run from third. The Bruins would then go on to add four more runs in the frame to seal the victory.
David Berg (3-0) continued his Pac-12 Conference dominance by throwing two scoreless innings, allowing no hits, to earn the win. Oregon State's Luke Heimlich (1-3) garnered the loss after conceding two runs in 1.2 innings out of the bullpen.
Chatterton (2-for-4, 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI) and Brett Stephens (2-for-5, 2 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI) each had three runs batted in to lead the Bruins at the plate. Christoph Bono (2-for-2, 3B, 2 R), Ty Moore (2-for-4, RBI) and Luke Persico (2-for-5, 2B, RBI) also had solid performances, each finishing with multiple-hit efforts for UCLA who finished with 14 hits in total.
UCLA (23-6, 10-2) tallied two runs in the bottom of the third inning to jump out to an early lead on the Beavers. Bono reached first on a one-out single and was brought around to score by the next batter, Chatterton, who ripped a double down the right field line. After Chatterton advanced to third on a passed ball, Kevin Kramer brought the second run in with a hard line drive single through the left side of the infield to put the Bruins on top, 2-0.
However, Oregon State (22-9, 5-4) responded in a big way, with five runs in the top of the fourth. The Beavers brought all nine batters to the plate, totaling five hits in the inning. The outburst was highlighted by a two-RBI single by Kyle Nobach and a two-run home run down the right field line by Elliot Cary, his first-career long ball.
Trailing by three, the resilient Bruins would go on to record a run in the each of the next three innings to eventually tie the game at five apiece in the sixth.
Darrell Miller Jr. delivered the RBI in the fourth on a sacrifice-fly to right field and Moore cashed in Stephens from third with a clutch two-out single in the fifth. Then in the sixth inning, Bono hit his team-leading fifth triple down the right field line with one away to set up Chatterton. The UCLA second baseman did the job with an RBI-groundout to the shortstop to knot the game up, 5-5.
The UCLA bullpen continued to hold the Oregon State offense at bay, keeping the Beavers scoreless after the five-run inning in the fourth. Cody Poteet, Tucker Forbes, Hunter Virant and Grant Dyer combined to pitch 3.2 innings of shutout ball to lead to Berg in the eighth.
After Berg threw a scoreless top half, the Bruin offense exploded for five runs of their own in the bottom of the eighth. Following the Chatterton game-winning RBI-single, Stephens cleared the bases with a double to left field. The ball was a high-fly ball that the Beavers left fielder never spotted, allowing it to fall harmlessly. UCLA would then add one more on a double to right field by Persico to reach the final count of 10-5.
UCLA will be back on the field on Friday, April 10 at 3:00pm PT when they travel across town to take on the USC Trojans at Dedeaux Field. All three weekend games will be broadcast live on the Pac-12 Networks. Fans can also access live audio of all three games on uclabruins.com.
Notes: In Pac-12 play, David Berg has allowed zero runs and struck out 22 batters over 16.0 innings. Trent Chatterton, Kevin Kramer and Brett Stephens each had three runs batted in this weekend. The UCLA pitching staff combined for a 1.33 ERA this weekend. This marks the first series win for UCLA over Oregon State since 2010.
