SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – Kevin Kendall drove in two runs on two hits with a triple, while Zach Pettway tossed 6.2 strong innings as the No. 9 UCLA baseball team on Saturday evening from Baggett Stadium. The Bruins take the series after defeating the Mustangs on Friday night, 9-5.
Pettway (7-1) earned the win tossing 6.2 innings, allowing three runs and scattering eight hits with five strikeouts. Holden Powell (5) picked up the save tossing a scoreless ninth inning.
Trailing 3-0 after the fifth inning, the Bruins put up six runs in the top of the sixth inning to take a three-run lead. Daniel Amaral started the inning with a double to left-center field and scored on a Ryan Kreidler ground ball to third base. A throwing error by the pitcher and a wild pitch would tie the game followed by Kendall ripping a two-run triple into the gap for UCLA's first lead of the game. Chase Strumpf plated the final run of the frame with a RBI-double for the 6-3 lead.
After five scoreless innings to begin the game, Cal Poly got on the board in the bottom half of the fifth inning on a three-run home run just inside the left-field foul pole by Alex McKenna.
Cal Poly's Darren Nelson (4-4) suffered the loss allowing five runs, four earned, on eight hits in 5.0 innings of work.
UCLA (28-10) scored six runs on 10 hits with one error, while Cal Poly (19-22) finished the game with three runs on nine hits with one error.
The series finale between UCLA and Cal Poly will take place on Sunday at 1 p.m. PT from Baggett Stadium.
Game Notes: UCLA has recorded double-digit hits in 10-straight games … The Bruins have won six-straight games for the first time since March of 2017 … Kevin Kendall recorded his third multi-RBI game of the season … Zach Pettway has thrown six or more innings in five of his last six starts … Pettway has struck out five or more batters in six games this season … Chase Strumpf has reached base safely in 26 consecutive games … Strumpf now leads the team with 17 multi-hit games … Michael Toglia recorded his 18th double of the season … Nick Scheidler appeared in his team-high 25th game this season, while Kyle Mora made his 21st … Jeremy Ydens had his 12-game hitting streak snapped.