UCLA
12-6, 2-1
Arizona
13-6, 1-2
Bruins Clinch Arizona Series With 11-3 Sunday Win
March 21, 2021 | Baseball
LOS ANGELES – The No. 11-ranked UCLA baseball team clinched its Pac-12-opening series over No. 17 Arizona with an 11-3 win on Sunday afternoon at Jackie Robinson Stadium.
The Bruins (12-6, 2-1 Pac-12) scored in six consecutive innings starting in the second, reaching double digits in the run column for the fifth time this season.
Arizona (13-6, 1-2) led 2-0 after the first inning, but was limited to one run and three hits for the rest of the contest.
Eight of nine UCLA starters recorded a hit on Sunday, and six different Bruins drove in a run. Sophomore first baseman JT Schwartz (3-5, two RBIs) and junior shortstop Matt McLain (1-4) each homered to lead the Bruin offense.
Jacob Berry was the Wildcats' top offensive performer, bringing in two runs on an RBI single in the first inning. No Arizona batter recorded an extra-base hit.
UCLA did not wait long to respond after falling behind in the first, plating single runs in the second and third innings to tie it up. Sophomore DH Josh Hahn got the Bruins on the board with an opposite field RBI single, then an inning later Jarron Silva worked a seven-pitch walk with the bases loaded to force in the game-tying run.
McLain put the Bruins up for good in the fourth inning with a solo homer to center field, his second roundtripper of the year.
A critical play in the game occurred in the fifth, with freshman third baseman Kyle Karros sneaking a sharply-hit grounder inside the third-base line for a double that scored two, including the eventual game-winning run.
The Bruins broke it open with a four-run sixth. Sophomore right fielder Michael Curialle had the big hit of that rally, finding the gap in right-center for a two-run double. UCLA scored two more in that frame on a wild pitch and a dropped pop-up.
Schwartz closed the scoring for UCLA with a two-run homer in the seventh, hooking one down the right field line and inside the foul pole for his first collegiate home run.
Sophomore pitchers Jake Saum and Jared Karros combined to allow just three hits and one run over 5 1/3 relief innings.
The left-handed Saum entered the game in the fourth, and promptly retired the first seven batters he faced. He labored a bit in the seventh, as Arizona loaded the bases on two singles and a hit-by-pitch, but Karros came in and helped limit the damage to one run.
Karros finished off the rest of the game, allowing just a single in the ninth. He bounced back after that minor knock, inducing a 4-6-3 double play to end the game.
Saum was credited with the win, the first of his collegiate career.
UCLA starter Nick Nastrini allowed just one hit and two earned runs over 3 2/3 innings, but struggled with his control, walking five.
The Bruins wrap up a four-game homestand on Tuesday night, Mar. 23, hosting Loyola Marymount at 6:00 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Saum, Jake (1-2)
L: Flanagan, Quinn (0-2)
Batting:
RBI: Holgate, Ryan 1 ; Berry, Jacob 2
SF: Holgate, Ryan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Williams, Donta 1 ; Boissiere, Branden 1 ; Bullard, Tony 1
HBP: Williams, Donta 2
Batting:
2B: Schwartz, JT 1 ; Perez, Mikey 1 ; Curialle, Michael 1 ; Karros, Kyle 1
HR: McLain, Matt 1 ; Schwartz, JT 1
RBI: McLain, Matt 1 ; Schwartz, JT 2 ; Hahn, Josh 1 ; Curialle, Michael 2 ; Silva, Jarron 1 ; Karros, Kyle 2
SH: Silva, Jarron 1
Base Running:
RUNS: McLain, Matt 1 ; Cardenas, Noah 2 ; Schwartz, JT 2 ; Perez, Mikey 2 ; Hahn, Josh 1 ; Curialle, Michael 2 ; Silva, Jarron 1
HBP: Kendall, Kevin 1 ; Perez, Mikey 1
PO: Caulfield, Pat 1
