UCLA
3-2
UC Irvine
3-1
Bruins Notch Walk-Off 4-3 Win Over UC Irvine
February 26, 2021 | Baseball
LOS ANGELES – The No. 8-ranked UCLA baseball team overcame a two-run deficit to secure a 4-3, walk-off win over UC Irvine on Friday night, with junior first baseman Jack Filby drawing a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the ninth to plate the game-winning run.
The Bruins (3-2) trailed for most of the game, but leveled the score at 3-3 with a two-run rally in the seventh which set the stage for the ninth-inning drama.
Junior second baseman Mikey Perez sparked the game-winning rally by ripping an 0-1 pitch off the third baseman's glove and into left field for a one-out double. He moved to third base on a solid opposite field single from freshman third baseman Kyle Karros, then the Anteaters (3-1) opted to intentionally walk junior center fielder Kevin Kendall, which loaded the bases for Filby.
Filby, who was 1-3 to that point in the game, didn't have to take the bat off his shoulder during the game-winning plate appearance, as UCI reliever Josh Ibarra threw four consecutive pitches out of the zone.
The walk-off made a winner out of UCLA reliever Kyle Mora, who tossed a three-up, three-down top of the ninth which was finished off by a nice play from junior shortstop Matt McLain on a soft grounder to his right.
Mora was the last of six UCLA relievers used in Friday's contest. Senior right-hander Zach Pettway – the Bruins' Opening Day starter in both 2019 and 2020 – made his season debut with a scoreless sixth inning. He struck out the first batter he faced on a high fastball, hit the next batter, then ended the inning with a strike-em-out, throw-em-out double play.
Freshman right-hander Jake Brooks made his NCAA debut in the contest, striking out a pair in 2/3 innings of work.
Sophomore righty Jared Karros drew the start for the Bruins and received a no-decision after allowing two earned runs and striking out five in 4 1/3 innings.
UCLA tied the game using team speed and a bit of good fortune in the seventh inning. With a runner on first and one out, Perez got the Bruins in business after his check swing on a 1-1 pitch sent the ball over UCI first baseman Adrian Damla's head for a base hit that put runners on the corners.
With Kyle Karros at the plate, UCLA executed a double steal and managed to advance both runners safely, as Perez snuck in under the tag at second base and Jarron Silva scored from third without a throw. After moving to third on a groundout, Perez scored the game-tying run after Kendall beat UCI pitcher Jacob King to the first base bag on a chopper into the 3-4 hole.
Silva opened the scoring for UCLA with an RBI single in the second inning. The Bruins fell behind 1-0 after the first and 2-1 midway through the fourth, and had earlier potential game-tying rallies negated by double plays in the third and sixth innings.
For UCI, the 2-3-4 spots in the lineup went 4-8, but the rest of the team combined to go 1-20. Center fielder Mike Peabody (2-3) was the lone Anteater with multiple hits.
UCLA and UCI move the series to Orange County on Saturday, with the two teams facing off at 1:00 p.m. from Anteater Park in Irvine. The contest will be streamed live on Big West TV. The series returns to Jackie Robinson Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Check out highlights from tonight's come-from-behind, walk-off 4-3 win over UC Irvine. #GoBruins pic.twitter.com/fIcwLJKs9b
— UCLA Baseball (@UCLABaseball) February 27, 2021
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Mora, Kyle (1-0)
L: Ibarra, Josh (0-1)
Batting:
RBI: Damla, Adrian 1 ; Castro, Jacob 2
SH: Palmer, Jake 1 ; Damla, Adrian 1 ; Kasper, Riley 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Peabody, Mike 1 ; Church, Nathan 1 ; Damla, Adrian 1
CS: Palmer, Jake 1 ; Cosgrove, Jake 1
HBP: Peabody, Mike 1 ; Damla, Adrian 1 ; Cosgrove, Jake 1 ; Hadeen, Woody 1
Batting:
2B: Perez, Mikey 1
RBI: Kendall, Kevin 1 ; Filby, Jack 1 ; Silva, Jarron 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Hahn, Josh 1 ; Silva, Jarron 1 ; Perez, Mikey 2
SB: Silva, Jarron 1 ; Perez, Mikey 1
