UCLA
5-1
Vanderbilt
4-3
UCLA Shuts Out Vandy, 3-0, to Even Series
February 25, 2023 | Baseball
NASHVILLE, Tenn. โ No. 13 UCLA hit a trio of solo home runs in the late innings, and sophomore righty Alonzo Tredwell led a five-hit shutout as the Bruins shut out No. 5 Vanderbilt, 3-0, to even the series at one game apiece on Saturday afternoon at Hawkins Field.
The contest was a pitchers' duel through and through over the first six innings of the game, with both squads trading zeroes in quick succession.
The Bruins (5-1) were able to break through with one out in the seventh, as sophomore second baseman Duce Gourson connected on a breaking ball from Vandy (4-3) reliever Sam Hliboki and sent it over the wall in center field for a solo home run that opened the scoring.
UCLA didn't wait long to add to the lead, as Darius Perry pounced on a hanging slider in a 1-2 count and sent it over the high wall in left field for back-to-back home runs. It was the second time this season that UCLA hit a home run in back-to-back at-bats, as JonJon Vaughns and Cody Schrier accomplished the feat on Feb. 18 against Omaha.
Junior third baseman Kyle Karros added an insurance run for the Bruins in the ninth, pulling a fastball into the seats in left for his second roundtripper of the year.
Meanwhile, Tredwell and the relief trio of freshman Cody Delvecchio, senior Charles Harrison, and sophomore Luke Jewett combined to limit the hosts to just five hits โ all singles โ while recording UCLA's second shutout of the year.
Vandy's best chance to score, by far, came in the first inning as Tredwell struggled with command issues, walking three batters and hitting another.
However, the Bruins escaped that inning thanks in large part to Perry throwing out a pair of would-be basestealers. First, he gunned down Enrique Bradfield Jr. โ who was a perfect 46-46 in stolen base attempts in 2022 โ off a pitchout trying to steal second. Later in the inning, he delivered a strike to third base to catch RJ Schreck on an attempted double steal. Tredwell then froze five-hitter Jonathan Vastine on a curveball for an inning-ending strikeout, stranding a pair of runners in scoring position.
Tredwell settled in from there, allowing just a pair of base hits over the remainder of his five-inning start. He went 1-2-3 in the second inning, and then had multiple strikeouts in each of the next three frames. He ended the day with seven strikeouts.
Delvecchio took over in the sixth and delivered a quick 1-2-3 inning, putting him in line for the win after the pair of homers in the next half-inning. Harrison wiggled out of a couple jams to keep the Commodores off the board, and Jewett closed the door with a three-up, three-down ninth to lock down his first save of 2023.
UCLA and Vanderbilt conclude the three-game series with a Sunday rubber match, starting at 10:00 a.m. PT (12:00 p.m. CT). The game will be streamed through SEC Network+ (viewable on ESPN.com/watch and the ESPN app).
Let's take a look at the highlights from today's 3-0 win at Vandy, courtesy of SECN+ ??#GoBruins pic.twitter.com/oh4HUyxaqd
โ UCLA Baseball (@UCLABaseball) February 25, 2023
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Delvecchio, Cody (1-0)
L: Sam Hliboki (0-2)
S: Jewett, Luke (1)
Batting:
HR: Karros, Kyle 1 ; Gourson, Duce 1 ; Perry, Darius 1
RBI: Karros, Kyle 1 ; Gourson, Duce 1 ; Perry, Darius 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Karros, Kyle 1 ; Gourson, Duce 1 ; Perry, Darius 1
SB: Gourson, Duce 1
Base Running:
CS: Enrique Bradfield Jr 1 ; RJ Austin 1
HBP: RJ Schreck 1
