UCLA
36-7, 0
Arizona State
32-11, 0
No. 1 UCLA Edges ASU 3-2 in Series Opener
May 04, 2019 | Baseball
PHOENIX, Ariz. โ Junior Ryan Garcia and sophomore Holden Powell teamed up to limit the second-highest-scoring offense in the country to two runs on Friday night as No. 1 UCLA captured a 3-2 victory over Arizona State at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
The Bruins (36-7, 15-4 Pac-12) never trailed in the game, but had to hold off the Sun Devils (32-11, 13-9) who got the game-tying run on base in each of the final two innings.
However, Powell was up to the task for the Bruins, completing a six-out save in what was possibly the most high-leverage situation yet in his breakout sophomore season. He now has 14 saves on the year, third-most in single season program history and the most since David Berg had an NCAA-record 24 in 2013.
With UCLA ahead 3-1, Powell was summoned from the bullpen after ASU got the first two runners on in the eighth inning. UCLA's sophomore closer โ who was facing the top of the Sun Devils' lineup โ proceeded to retire each batter he faced. He started by bouncing back from a 3-1 count to strike out leadoff hitter Spencer Torkelson, then got a flyout to center from Trevor Hauver that brought in a run for the home squad. Powell limited the damage there by inducing a routine ground ball from Alika Williams for the third out.
The bottom of the ninth started with a walk to cleanup hitter Hunter Bishop, but Powell bounced back to strike out the next three batters to seal the win. He froze the first two of his victims before getting Carter Aldrete to swing through a slider for the final out of the game.
Coming off a National Pitcher of the Week performance against Utah, Garcia put the Bruins in a position to win after limiting ASU to one run through six innings.
Garcia struck out the side in the first, and had five strikeouts by the end of the second inning. The Sun Devils got to him in the fourth as Lyle Lin punished him for a leadoff walk by stroking an RBI double to left field, but he bounced back after that to retire eight consecutive batters, including 1-2-3 frames in the fifth and sixth.
He ended the day with a line of two earned runs on five hits over seven-plus innings, with two walks and eight strikeouts.
Offensively, the Bruins were led by Kevin Kendall (2-3, RBI) and Garrett Mitchell (2-4, R). Michael Toglia added a pair of base hits.
Junior left fielder Jack Stronach played a key part on both sides of the ball. With the bat, he singled and later scored in the second inning, and then drove in the game-winning run in the eighth with his Pac-12 leading seventh sac fly of the year. He was a standout with the glove as well, running down a fly ball on the warning track in the third and then making a leaping catch in the left-center field gap to wrap up the fifth inning.
B5 | It's a bird, it's a plane, it's Jack Stronach!
— UCLA Baseball (@UCLABaseball) May 4, 2019
Jack makes this leaping catch at the LF wall to finish off a 1-2-3 frame for Ryan Garcia.
Tune in here: https://t.co/mndeJ7WXbW
UCLA 1, ASU 1#GoBruins pic.twitter.com/JjS5LRmDTb
The Bruins opened the scoring in the second inning, taking advantage of back-to-back singles from Stronach and Toglia to open the inning. UCLA cashed in Stronach after Kendall ripped a grounder towards second base that took a tough hop and resulted in an RBI infield single.
UCLA took its second lead of the game in the seventh. Kendall was a catalyst for that rally, slapping a double down the left field line to give the Bruins two runners in scoring position with just one out. Though ASU starter came back with a strikeout, freshman catcher Noah Cardenas converted for the Bruins with a dribbler up the middle that was knocked down by Williams โ the ASU shortstop โ allowing Kyle Cuellar to score.
The Bruins played small ball to manufacture the eventual game-winning run in the eighth. Mitchell led off the frame with a drag bunt past Marsh, then moved into scoring position on a Ryan Kreidler sac bunt. Junior second baseman Chase Strumpf singled โ extending his reached base streak to 34 games โ to get Mitchell to third, and then Stronach brought him home with a solid fly ball to medium-center.
UCLA and Arizona State continue the series on Saturday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. The contest will be televised by the Pac-12 Networks.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Garcia, Ryan (6-0)
L: Marsh,Alec (8-3)
S: Powell, Holden (14)
Batting:
2B: Kendall, Kevin 1
RBI: Stronach, Jack 1 ; Kendall, Kevin 1 ; Cardenas, Noah 1
SH: Kreidler, Ryan 1 ; McLain, Matt 1
SF: Stronach, Jack 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Mitchell, Garrett 1 ; Stronach, Jack 1 ; Cuellar, Kyle 1
SB: Kreidler, Ryan 1
HBP: Kendall, Kevin 1
Batting:
2B: Lin,Lyle 1
RBI: Hauver,Trevor 1 ; Workman,Gage 1
SF: Hauver,Trevor 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Williams,Alika 1 ; Swift,Drew 1
CS: Hauver,Trevor 1
