Big Inning Lifts No. 9 UCLA over Cal Poly, 9-5

Friday, April 27

San Luis Obispo, CA

6:00 PM

UCLA

27-10

Cal Poly

19-21

UCLA

Cal Poly

Jeremy Ydens (photo by Don Liebig)

Photo by: Don Liebig/ASUCLA

Big Inning Lifts No. 9 UCLA over Cal Poly, 9-5

April 27, 2018 | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – Jeremy Ydens hit a two-run home run and a RBI-triple, while Jack Stronach drove in two runs with two doubles as the No. 9 UCLA baseball team earned a 9-5 win the series opener at Cal Poly on Friday night from Baggett Stadium.

Kyle Mora (4-1) earned the win tossing 1.1 scoreless innings in relief with three strikeouts, while Jake Bird allowed five runs, three earned, on nine hits in 6.2 innings of work with four strikeouts for the no-decision. Holden Powell tossed a scoreless ninth inning and tallied two strikeouts.

Offensively, the Bruins were also led by Michael Toglia with two hits drove in a run and scored twice, while Chase Strumpf went 2-for-2 with two runs and drew three walks.

Trailing 4-3 after seven innings, UCLA would score five runs in the top half of the inning to grab a four-run lead. Strumpf led off the inning with a single and scored all the way from first base on a double by Toglia. After a Stronach double put runners on second and third, Toglia scored on a wild pitch and Daniel Amaral plated Stronach with a single to right field. Three batters later, Daniel Rosica dropped down a bunt to the first baseman that allowed Amaral to cross the plate. Ydens brought home the final run of the inning with a RBI-triple off the glove of a diving center fielder.

UCLA scored quickly with two runs in the first inning when Stronach ripped a two-out double off the base of the wall in right field to bring in Strumpf and Toglia who reached base with back-to-back singles.

Cal Poly cut into the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning with a RBI-single off the bat of Nick Meyer to make the score 2-1. The Bruins put up two more runs in the fifth inning when Ydens hit a two-run home run over the left-field fence to bring in Ryan Kreidler and take a 4-1 lead.

The Mustangs made it a one-run game in the sixth inning when Scott Ogrin hit a two-run single through the right side of the infield and took their first lead of the game with two runs in the seventh inning. Kyle Marinconz reached base on a miscue in the outfield for a triple and later scored on a wild pitch to tie the game. The Mustangs took the lead at 5-4 when Tate Samuelson hit a single through the right side of the infield to plate Bradlee Beesley.

Cal Poly's Andrew Alvarez (2-1) suffered the loss allowed three runs on three hits in the eighth inning, while starter Trent Shelton allowed four runs on five hits in 7.0 innings.

UCLA (27-10) scored nine runs on 10 hits with one error, while Cal Poly (19-21) finished the game with five runs on nine hits with one error.

The second game of this three-game non-conference series will begin on Saturday at 6 p.m. from Baggett Stadium.

Game Notes: The UCLA offense tallied double-digit hits for the ninth-straight game … The Bruins improve to 5-6 this season when trailing after seven innings … Jeremy Ydens hit his second home run of the season and set a career-high with three RBIs … Ydens extended his hitting streak to 12-consecutive games … Chase Strumpf has reached base safely in 25-straight games … Jack Stronach set a career-high with doubles … Stronach recorded his fourth multi-RBI game this season … Michael Toglia tallied his team-best 17th double of the year … Toglia and Strumpf are tied for the tea lead with 16 multi-hit games this season … Kyle Mora is second on the team with five wins.