UCLA
20-21, 10-11
Utah
16-23, 11-7
UCLA Offense Explodes in Win at Utah
May 02, 2016 | Baseball
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Kort Peterson drove in a career-high five runs to help the UCLA Bruins top the Utah Utes, 10-3, on Sunday evening at Smith's Ballpark. The win snaps a three-game losing streak for the Bruins.
Peterson (3-for-5, 2 3B, 2 R, 5 RBI) led the way for the UCLA offense, totaling three hits, including two triples. Sean Bouchard (2-for-5, 2B, 2 R, RBI) and Luke Persico (2-for-4, 2 R, BB) also finished with multi-hit evenings in UCLA's 11-hit effort.
Kyle Molnar (4-4) earned the win for UCLA, striking out eight while allowing three runs (one earned) over 6.2 innings. Utah starter Josh Lapiana (2-5) received the loss, allowing five runs (two earned) on seven hits over 7.2 innings. Moises Ceja (3) got the save, throwing 1.1 innings of shutout baseball.
UCLA (20-21, 10-11) jumped all over Utah in the top of the first, pushing four runs across. An error by the catcher on a play at the plate allowed the first run to score and was immediately followed with a Peterson triple to bring two more Bruins in. Christoph Bono then delivered the final run on a well-executed safety squeeze down the first base line and UCLA led, 4-0, after one.
Utah (16-23, 11-7) got two runs back in the third to cut the Bruin lead in half. Cody Scaggari doubled in a run and came home on a wild pitch to make the score, 4-2. However, the Bruins responded with one of their own on an RBI-groundout by Trent Chatterton in the fourth to extend their advantage to three.
The Utes answered again with a run in the fifth to pull back within two of UCLA. A two-out RBI-single from Hunter Simmons scored the runner from second and made the score, 5-3.
That would be the end of the scoring for Utah though as Molnar, along with relievers Scott Burke, Tucker Forbes, Hunter Virant and Ceja combined to shut down the Utes to secure the victory. The staff worked together to hold Utah to just one hit over the final four innings.
The Bruins would add to their two run lead in the ninth with five more to extend their edge to seven. Peterson supplied the big blow in the inning with a bases clearing triple to sink the Utes and lift UCLA to the, 10-3, win.
UCLA now travels to take on Long Beach State on Tuesday, May 3 at 6:00pm PT at Blair Field. Fans can listen to all of the action live on uclabruins.com.
Notes: Eric Filia has now reached base in 40 of 41 games this season…Luke Persico extended his hit streak to eight games…Kort Peterson has now reached base in 15 consecutive games…Peterson set new single game career-highs with five RBI and two triples…On the weekend, Peterson drove in a team-high seven runs on a team-high five hits…Moises Ceja tied a single game career-high with three strikeouts…Kyle Molnar recorded his first career road victory…UCLA has scored in the first inning in five consecutive games and six of its last seven.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Molnar, Kyle (4-4)
L: Lapiana, Josh (2-5)
S: Ceja, Moises (3)
Batting:
2B: Bouchard, Sean 1
3B: Peterson, Kort 2
RBI: Bouchard, Sean 1 ; Peterson, Kort 5 ; Amaral, Daniel 1 ; Bono, Christoph 1 ; Chatterton, Trent 1
SH: Urabe, Brett 1 ; Bono, Christoph 2 ; Rosica, Daniel 2
SF: Amaral, Daniel 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Urabe, Brett 1 ; Filia, Eric 1 ; Persico, Luke 2 ; Bouchard, Sean 2 ; Peterson, Kort 2 ; Pries, Jake 1 ; Chatterton, Trent 1
SB: Urabe, Brett 1
CS: Urabe, Brett 1 ; Filia, Eric 1 ; Peterson, Kort 1
HBP: Pries, Jake 1
PO: Urabe, Brett 1 ; Filia, Eric 1 ; Persico, Luke 1 ; Peterson, Kort 1
Batting:
2B: Scaggari, Cody 1 ; Simmons, Hunter 1
RBI: Scaggari, Cody 1 ; Simmons, Hunter 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Scaggari, Cody 1 ; Carroll, Dallas 1 ; Davis, Kody 1
SB: Carroll, Dallas 1 ; Anderson, Chandler 1 ; Davis, Kody 1
CS: Scaggari, Cody 1
HBP: Carroll, Dallas 1
PO: Jackson, Andre 1
