UCLA
3-2
Gonzaga
3-3
UCLA Evens Series with Gonzaga with 6-1 Win
February 25, 2017 | Baseball
LOS ANGELES โ Sean Bouchard hit his first two home runs of the season and recorded four RBIs, while Jake Bird tossed 6.0 shutout innings as the UCLA baseball team earned a 6-1 win over Gonzaga on Saturday at Jackie Robinson Stadium to even the weekend series at a game apiece.
Bouchard finished the day going 3-for-4 with two home runs and drove home four runs. He becomes the first UCLA player to hit two home runs in a game since Luke Persico on Feb. 14, 2015 against Hofstra and the first Bruin since Kort Peterson on May 1, 2016 at Utah to drive in four runs.
Bird (2-0) scattered four hits over 6.0 innings of shutout work and collected seven strikeouts with only one walk. In two starts this season, Bird has thrown 13.0 innings allowing just one run with 13 strikeouts.
UCLA scored quickly with two runs in the first inning as Brett Stephens ripped a triple to right-center field followed by Bouchard hitting a two-run home run to center field for his first of the season.
The Bruins added one more run in the fourth inning as Chase Strumpf led off the inning with a solo home run to left field, the first of his career.
Bouchard would hit his second home run of the day in the sixth inning when he went opposite field over the right-field fence to score two runs and make the score 5-0.
Daniel Amaral pushed the lead toย 6-0 in favor of the Bruins in the eighth inning as he hit a RBI-single through the right side of the infield to plate Ryan Kreidler from third base.
The Zags broke up the shut out in the ninth inning as Daniel Fredrickson singled up the middle and later scored on a passed ball.
Gonzaga's Justin Vernia (1-1) suffered the loss throwing 3.1 innings and allowed three runs on eight hits with two strikeouts.
The Bruins finished the game with six runs on 12 hits with no errors, while the Zags totaled one run on eight hits with no errors.
UCLA and Gonzaga will play the final game of this three-game set on Sunday with first pitch set for 1 p.m. (PT) at Jackie Robinson Stadium.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Bird, Jake (2-0)
L: VERNIA, Justin (1-1)
Batting:
2B: VIETH, Jake 1
Base Running:
RUNS: FREDRICKSON, Daniel 1
Batting:
2B: Kreidler, Ryan 1
3B: Stephens, Brett 1
HR: Bouchard, Sean 2 ; Strumpf, Chase 1
RBI: Amaral, Daniel 1 ; Bouchard, Sean 4 ; Strumpf, Chase 1
SH: Rosica, Daniel 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Stephens, Brett 2 ; Bouchard, Sean 2 ; Strumpf, Chase 1 ; Kreidler, Ryan 1
SB: Amaral, Daniel 1
HBP: Kreidler, Ryan 1
