UCLA
42-8
UCLA at UC Irvine
31-16
No. 1 UCLA Blanks UCI 7-0, Clinches Undefeated Midweek Record
May 14, 2019 | Baseball
IRVINE, Calif. โ No. 1 UCLA cruised past UC Irvine by a score of 7-0 on Tuesday night at Anteater Ballpark, clinching an undefeated record in midweek games for an entire season for the first time since 2012.
The Bruins (42-8), who entered the week with the best team ERA in the country, also took the national lead in shutouts after blanking the Anteaters (31-16) for their 10th of the year. UCLA finishes the 2019 season with an 11-0 mark in midweek contests, going 5-0 at home and 6-0 on the road.
Junior right-handed pitcher Felix Rubi earned his first collegiate victory after turning in an outstanding five-inning start, holding UCI to just three hits. Coupled with his debut start a week ago against Long Beach State, Rubi has gone eight straight innings without allowing a run.
The Bruin bullpen completed the shutout with four zeroes to end the game.
The first man out of the bullpen was redshirt junior Justin Hooper, who threw 2/3 of an inning in his first appearance on the mound in game action since the 2017 season.
Redshirt senior Nate Hadley got UCLA out of its biggest jam of the day, inheriting a bases-loaded situation with two outs in the sixth. Hadley promptly struck out the first batter he faced on three pitches to end the threat. He followed with a scoreless seventh to wrap up a solid night in relief.
Junior righty Kyle Mora kept the line moving with a scoreless eighth, striking out a pair and allowing just a two-out single. UCI loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth against closer Holden Powell, but he bounced back to induce a flyout from John Jensen to end the game.
UCLA was led offensively by junior right fielder Jeremy Ydens and junior shortstop Ryan Kreidler.
Making his first appearance since Mar. 1 due to injury, Ydens went 3-4 with a double and scored a run. Kreidler blasted a solo home run off the clock atop the Cicerone Field scoreboard to give the Bruins a 3-0 lead in the third, and had a team-high two runs scored.
The Bruins used a two-out rally and took advantage of a UCI miscue to open the scoring in the second inning. Jarron Silva (2-4) and Ydens recorded back-to-back singles with two outs to put UCLA in business, then freshman Matt McLain โ who started at third base on Tuesday for his first collegiate appearance in the infield โ lofted a high fly ball to deep right field that was dropped by the Anteaters' Konnor Zickefoose, allowing both runners to come across.
UCLA opened a comfortable lead after posting a four-spot in the fifth. Chase Strumpf drew blood first during the four-hit rally, lining a base hit into left to score junior catcher Will McInerny, who had singled back up the middle on an 0-2 pitch to open the frame. That RBI knock chased UCI starter Taylor Rashi, but junior first baseman Michael Toglia was no nicer to his successor, bashing the first pitch he saw from lefty John Vergara down the right-field line for a two-run double. Silva followed with an RBI single to right to finish off the rally.
McInerny had a pair of hits on Tuesday to record his first multi-hit game of the campaign.
The Bruins are set to play their final regular season home series this weekend, welcoming Washington for a three-game set starting on Friday night at 6:00 p.m. The Pac-12 Network will televise all three games against the Huskies. UCLA is aiming to go undefeated in home series for a second consecutive season.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Rubi, Felix (1-0)
L: Rashi, Taylor (4-1)
Batting:
2B: Toglia, Michael 1 ; Ydens, Jeremy 1
HR: Kreidler, Ryan 1
RBI: Kreidler, Ryan 1 ; Strumpf, Chase 1 ; Toglia, Michael 2 ; Silva, Jarron 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kreidler, Ryan 2 ; Strumpf, Chase 1 ; Toglia, Michael 1 ; Silva, Jarron 1 ; Ydens, Jeremy 1 ; McInerny, Will 1
Batting:
2B: Koss, Christian 1
Base Running:
HBP: Damla, Adrian 1
