UCLA
38-8
Long Beach State at UCLA
11-35
No. 1 UCLA Outlasts LBSU For 2-1 Walk-Off Win in Extras
May 07, 2019 | Baseball
LOS ANGELES โ No. 1 UCLA scored on a passed ball in the bottom of the 12th to secure a 2-1 walk-off win over Long Beach State on Tuesday night at Jackie Robinson Stadium.
The miscue by LBSU (11-35) scored Michael Toglia, who had reached on an error to lead off the frame. Senior DH Jake Pries pushed Toglia all the way to third after doubling down the left field line with one out, then the Dirtbags intentionally walked pinch-hitter Kyle Cuellar to load the bases and set up the double play.
That gambit proved irrelevant however, as LBSU right-hander Tyler Gum's first offering to Noah Cardenas got away from catcher Antonio Torres, allowing Toglia to come in without a play.ย
It was the fourth walk-off victory of the season for the Bruins (38-8), who remain an undefeated 10-0 in midweek contests this season.
While the late-inning drama proved decisive, a collective standout effort from the pitching staff put the Bruins in position to come away with the win.
Buoyed by an outstanding five-inning start from junior righty Felix Rubi โ who was making his debut Division I start โ UCLA pitchers combined to allow just four hits and one run in 12 innings.
"Tonight was really a culmination of good pitching and good defense," said UCLA head coach John Savage. "I thought they handled us for the most part offensively, so you have to give credit to Long Beach State. It was good to get the win coming off a pretty big weekend at Arizona State. It wasn't pretty, but at the end of the day that doesn't really matter."
Sophomore outfielder Garrett Mitchell was UCLA's primary offensive weapon on Tuesday, going 3-4 with a trio of extra-base hits.
He opened the game's scoring in the first inning, drilling a line drive into the right-center gap for a double before moving to third on a wild pitch and scoring on an RBI groundout from Chase Strumpf.
Mitchell looked like he would plate a walk-off run for UCLA in the 11th after he led off that frame with a triple โ his second consecutive game with a triple and fifth overall this season. However, Gums went on to strand Mitchell at third with a strikeout and two not-deep-enough flyouts.
Mitchell also got himself into scoring position with a third inning walk-stolen base combo and a fifth inning double. From the third inning until the 12th, Mitchell was the lone Bruin to get into scoring position as LBSU's pitching tandem of John Sheaks and Alfredo Ruiz got on roll.
As solid as Sheaks and Ruiz were โ the former gave up just one run on four hits over a seven-inning start while the letter recorded three shutout innings of relief โ the Bruins were up to the task in the pitcher's duel.
Rubi bounced back from a slightly shaky start to the game โ he walked the leadoff batter on four pitches and yielded a run in the second โ to record a stellar line in his first NCAA start. He ended up giving up just one hit over his five innings, and ended his evening by retiring the final 11 batters he faced. The Pacoima, Calif. native punched out a career-best four batters.
Sophomore righty Michael Townsend faced the minimum in the sixth thanks to a solid catch-and-throw from catcher Will McInerny, who gunned down Jacob Hughey trying to steal second after singling with one out.
Nate Hadley followed with a quick 1-2-3 seventh, needing just eight pitches to retire the side.
Junior righty Kyle Mora shut down LBSU during his three innings of work, allowing just one baserunner while striking out three. He came close to recording a nine-up, nine-down outing until hitting Malm with two outs in the 10th.
Sophomore closer Holden Powell had a slightly adventurous 11thย โ giving up two singles before inducing an inning-ending double play โ but was dominant in the 12th, sending down the side on just six pitches. He received the win to even his record at 3-3 on the year.
UCLA resumes Pac-12 competition this weekend with a three-game set at Washington State starting on Friday at 5:05 p.m. All three games of the WSU series will be streamed.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Powell, Holden (3-3)
L: Gums, Tyler (1-4)
Batting:
2B: Malm, Aidan 1
RBI: Rivera, Santino 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Malm, Aidan 1
CS: Hughey, Jacob 1
HBP: Malm, Aidan 1
Batting:
2B: Mitchell, Garrett 2 ; Pries, Jake 1 ; Silva, Jarron 1
3B: Mitchell, Garrett 1
RBI: Strumpf, Chase 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Mitchell, Garrett 1 ; Toglia, Michael 1
SB: Mitchell, Garrett 1
