UCLA
50-9
Loyola Marymount at UCLA
34-24
UCLA Baseball Takes Down LMU, 6-1
June 02, 2019 | Baseball
LOS ANGELES โ Chase Strumpf went 2-for-5 with one home run and three RBI to power the No. 1-seeded UCLA baseball team past No. 3-seed Loyola Marymount, 6-1, on Sunday evening at Jackie Robinson Stadium.
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Strumpf's two-run blast in the second inning was pivotal, as UCLA (50-9) forced a winner-take-all Regional Final contest to be played Monday night at UCLA's home ballpark.
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Michael Toglia (2-for-4) and Jeremy Ydens (1-for-4) also belted home runs in the Bruins' victory.
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Freshman right-hander Nick Nastrini (1-0) earned his first collegiate victory, making his fourth appearance of the season. He limited LMU (34-24) to one run and four hits through five innings, totaling seven strikeouts and one walk.
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Nastrini had gone 96 days since his last appearance, having missed 14 weeks of the regular season with an injury. He last pitched against CSUN on Tuesday, Feb. 26. Against LMU on Sunday night, Nastrini made just eight pitches in a perfect first inning and needed 13 pitches to get through the second inning.
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"I'm really proud of our team," UCLA head coach John Savage said. "I'm proud of our guys, [who had] a very good approach. We played a good Baylor team, beat them, and then tonight, the story was Nick Nastrini. Nastrini hadn't pitched since late February. He had thoracic outlet syndrome, and you can't say enough about his discipline over that time and his dedication to the weight room and throwing program. When he got cleared, he was ready to go. For me, we needed that outing."
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LMU left-hander Matt Voelker (2-5) was tagged with the loss, allowing five runs and six hits through 3.1 innings.
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Monday evening's Regional Final between UCLA and LMU will begin at 7 p.m. (PT). The winner of Monday's game will advance to the NCAA Super Regional round, a best-of-three series to take place next weekend against either Michigan or Creighton.
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UCLA had advanced to Sunday's night's contest after having downed Baylor, 11-6, earlier in the day in an elimination game. Against Baylor, the Bruins belted four home runs. Between both games on Sunday, UCLA tallied seven home runs.
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The Bruins jumped ahead by a 5-0 margin against LMU with three homers through the game's first four innings. LMU added one run in the fifth inning and the Bruins scored one more run in the top of the ninth.
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Toglia put the Bruins ahead in the top of the second, belting a solo home run to left field.
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Leading 1-0, UCLA added three runs in the third inning. With Matt McLain and Ryan Kriedler on base, Strumpf drilled a two-out pitch over the fence in left field for a three-run homer.
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In the top of the fifth, Ydens added to the Bruins' 4-0 cushion with a solo homer down the left field line.
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Loyola Marymount scored one run in the bottom of the fifth, reducing UCLA's margin to 5-1. The Lions loaded the bases with one out before Nick Sogard lifted a sacrifice fly to left field, allowing Ethan Patrick to score. Nastrini extinguished LMU's threat by striking out Kyle Oyama with two runners on base.
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Jack Stronach provided an insurance run for the Bruins in the ninth inning. The outfielder from La Mesa, Calif., lined a triple to the right-center field gap and scored on a one-out single by Garett Mitchell.
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UCLA relief pitchers Nathan Hadley and Holden Powell held LMU's lineup in check over the final four innings. The Bruins' right-handed relievers limited the Lions to just one hit through four scoreless frames.
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Sogard reached base twice for LMU, going 1-for-2 with one walk and one RBI. In total, the Lions tallied five singles on Sunday.
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Tickets for Monday night's game at Jackie Robinson Stadium are limited in their availability. Fans can contact UCLA's Central Ticket Office after 11 a.m. (PT) on Monday for single-game tickets (phone: 310-825-2101).
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Monday's game will be televised on ESPN2 and can be streamed through ESPN3/WatchESPN (click here). Fans can also listen live to the action by clicking here.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Nastrini, Nick (1-0)
L: VOELKER, Matt (2-5)
Batting:
3B: Stronach, Jack 1
HR: Strumpf, Chase 1 ; Toglia, Michael 1 ; Ydens, Jeremy 1
RBI: Mitchell, Garrett 1 ; Strumpf, Chase 3 ; Toglia, Michael 1 ; Ydens, Jeremy 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Kreidler, Ryan 1 ; Strumpf, Chase 1 ; Toglia, Michael 1 ; Ydens, Jeremy 1 ; Stronach, Jack 1 ; McLain, Matt 1
SB: Mitchell, Garrett 1
Batting:
RBI: SOGARD, Nick 1
SF: SOGARD, Nick 1
Base Running:
RUNS: PATRICK, Ethan 1
