UCLA
7-2
Illinois
4-3
No. 11 UCLA Falls to Illinois, 5-3
March 02, 2018 | Baseball
MINNEAPOLIS โ Jake Bird threw 6.2 innings allowing one run, while Jake Hirabayashi collected two hits with a double and a RBI as the No. 11 UCLA baseball team dropped the first game of the DQ Classic/Pac-12 vs. Big Ten Challenge at U.S. Bank Stadium to Illinois, 5-3, on Friday.
Bird allowed just one run in 6.2 innings of work surrendering seven hits and struck out two. Illinois starter Quinn Snarskis tossed 5.2 scoreless innings surrendering five hits and two walks with four strikeouts.
Illinois scored four runs in the eighth inning to grab a 5-3 advantage when Mark Skonieczny drew a bases loaded walk, followed by a wild pitch then a two-run single to centerfield by Grant Van Scoy.
UCLA trailed 1-0 heading into the top of the seventh inning but scored three runs to take a two-run advantage. Hirabayashi tied the game with a single to center field to plate pinch runner Kevin Kendall. The Bruins took the lead on a bases-loaded walk by Chase Strumpf and scored one more run on a groundball to shortstop by Jake Pries.
The Fighting Illini scored the first run of the game in the fourth inning when Michael Massey led off the inning with a double down the right-field line followed by Doran Turchin hitting a RBI-single through the right side.
Brian Gadsby (2-1) suffered the loss allowing three runs and two hits in the eighth inning. Ryan Thompson (1-0) picked up the win for Illinois tossing 2.0 shutout innings in relief and recording one strikeout, while Joey Gerber earned his second save of the season with a perfect ninth inning.
UCLA (7-2) ended the game with three runs on eight hits with no errors, while Illinois (4-3) finished with five runs on nine hits and no errors.
UCLA will face Michigan State in game two of the DQ Classic/Pac-12 vs. Big Ten Challenge at U.S. Bank Stadium on Saturday beginning at 9 a.m. PT/11 a.m. CT.
Game Notes: Jake Hirabayashi tallied his third RBI of the season and his second double โฆ Michael Toglia hit his fifth double of the season โฆ Toglia leads the team with five multi-hit games as Jeremy Ydens recorded his third and Hirabayashi tallied his second โฆ Chase Strumpf recorded his team-best 15th RBI โฆ Jake Bird allowed a career-high seven hits โฆ Kevin Kendall scored his first career run.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Thompson, Ryan (1-0)
L: Gadsby, Brian (2-1)
S: Gerber, Joey (2)
Batting:
2B: Hirabayashi, Jake 1 ; Toglia, Michael 1
RBI: Hirabayashi, Jake 1 ; Strumpf, Chase 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Ydens, Jeremy 1 ; Hirabayashi, Jake 1 ; Kendall, Kevin 1
SB: Ydens, Jeremy 1 ; Kendall, Kevin 1
HBP: Pries, Jake 1
Batting:
2B: Taylor, Zac 1 ; Troike, Ben 1 ; Massey, Michael 2
RBI: Turchin, Doran 1 ; Skonieczny, Mark 1 ; Van Scoy, Grant 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Spillane, Bren 1 ; Massey, Michael 1 ; Turchin, Doran 1 ; Craan, David 1 ; Skonieczny, Mark 1
CS: Turchin, Doran 1
