UCLA
20-5, 7-2
USC
10-16, 3-6
No. 1 UCLA Defeats USC 9-2 to Clinch Series
March 31, 2019 | Baseball
LOS ANGELES โ Behind a four-RBI day from sophomore DH Jarron Silva, top-ranked UCLA clinched its series over crosstown rival USC with a 9-2 win in Sunday's rubber match at Dedeaux Field. ย
Silva hit a no-doubt two-run home run in the top of the second to put the Bruins (20-5, 7-2 Pac-12) ahead 2-1. After USC (10-16, 3-6) plated a single run in the bottom half of the same inning to knot the score, UCLA went on to score seven unanswered over the remainder of the game.
Five Bruin pitchers combined to shut out the Trojans over the final seven innings of the game. After Matthew Acosta singled to lead off the fourth, USC was held without a hit the rest of the way. The Trojans ended up committing more errors (four) than hits (three) on Sunday.
Junior first baseman Michael Toglia also had a standout day with the bat for UCLA, going 3-5 with a pair of runs scored. He hit a line drive solo home run over the Dedeaux Field scoreboard in the fifth inning. Sophomore right fielder Garrett Mitchell doubled and later scored as part of a go-ahead two-run rally in the third inning.
UCLA starter Ryan Garcia wasn't at his sharpest on Sunday, but he did enough to keep the Bruins in the game and qualify for the win. After laboring through the first three innings, he blazed through his final two frames of work, retiring the final six batters he faced. He ended his day with a line of five innings pitched, three hits allowed, two runs allowed (one earned), five walks, and three strikeouts.
After Garcia departed the game, the UCLA bullpen combined to throw four shutout innings without a single hit against.
Senior righty Nate Hadley was especially impressive. Inheriting a two-on, nobody out jam in the sixth inning, he induced three straight pop-ups from the Trojans to end the inning without any damage. He worked around a leadoff walk in the seventh, picking up a pair of strikeouts as part of a quick inning.
Junior Kyle Mora and sophomore Holden Powell followed with scoreless innings of their own to seal the win. Powell rolled up a double play ball after walking the first batter of the ninth, then struck out Ben Ramirez on a pitch in the dirt to end the game.
After being retired in order in the first inning, UCLA would go on to score in five consecutive innings starting in the second.
Silva had the big blow of the first rally, crushing a 2-1 offering from USC starter Kyle Hurt and sending it over the right field fence for his first career home run.
The Bruins plated the go-ahead and eventual game-winning run as part of a two-run third. Mitchell had the key hit of that frame, ripping a double to right field to give UCLA two runners in scoring position. UCLA cashed in both those runners on a Ryan Kreidler sac fly and a USC wild pitch. The Bruins would bring in three runs on wild pitches over the course of the game.
Silva had another big hit for UCLA in the ninth, pulling a bases-loaded double into the right field corner to plate a pair as part of a three-run rally. The two-bagger brought him up to four RBIs on the day, doubling his previous career-best.
After having no four-RBI performances over the first 21 games of the season, UCLA now has two in the past week as Jake Pries accomplished the feat on Tuesday against LMU with a first-inning grand slam.
UCLA returns to Jackie Robinson Stadium on Tuesday night to host CSUN in a 6:00 p.m. contest. The Bruins are on the road next weekend at Stanford in Pac-12 action.
Here are highlights from tonight's series-clinching win over USC! #GoBruins | #BeatSC pic.twitter.com/ijJlfsjxDC
โ UCLA Baseball (@UCLABaseball) April 1, 2019
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Garcia, Ryan (2-0)
L: Hurt, Kyle (0-4)
Batting:
2B: Mitchell, Garrett 1 ; Silva, Jarron 1
HR: Toglia, Michael 1 ; Silva, Jarron 1
RBI: Kreidler, Ryan 1 ; Toglia, Michael 1 ; Silva, Jarron 4
SH: McInerny, Will 1
SF: Kreidler, Ryan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Mitchell, Garrett 1 ; Strumpf, Chase 1 ; Stronach, Jack 1 ; Prendiz, Jordan 1 ; Toglia, Michael 2 ; Silva, Jarron 1 ; Kendall, Kevin 1 ; McInerny, Will 1
SB: Stronach, Jack 1
HBP: Stronach, Jack 1
Batting:
RBI: Ramirez, Ben 1 ; Thomas, John 1
SF: Ramirez, Ben 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Acosta, Matthew 1 ; Shockey, Brady 1
HBP: Stubbs, CJ 1
