University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
UCLA
10-3, 0-1
Oregon
9-3, 1-0
Bruins Drop Series Opener at Oregon, 6-2
March 10, 2023 | Baseball
EUGENE, Ore. โ No. 12-ranked UCLA dropped a 6-2 result to Oregon in Friday's Pac-12 opener at PK Park.
Oregon (9-3, 1-0 Pac-12) built an early 3-0 lead after scoring in both the first and second innings.
The Bruins (10-3, 0-1) answered with solo home runs off the bat of redshirt sophomore first baseman AJ Salgado and junior right fielder JonJon Vaughn to make it a one-run game in the fourth.
However, that was as close as UCLA would get, with Oregon out-scoring the Bruins 3-0 the rest of the way.
Salgado got UCLA on the board in the third with his first home run as a Bruin, a line shot to right off Oregon starter Jace Stoffal.
Vaughns followed the next inning with his team-leading fifth roundtripper of the year, blasting one the opposite way off the scoreboard in left field.
UCLA's best chance to tie the game came in the fifth after sophomore shortstop Cody Schrier drew a leadoff walk โ one of a game-high three bases on balls for Schrier on the day โ but the Bruins ultimately couldn't cash him in. Oregon stretched the lead to three in the bottom half of that inning. The Bruins left the bases loaded in the sixth, and couldn't get a runner into scoring position the rest of the contest.
Oregon was led by right fielder Owen Diodati, who drove in the game-winning run with a two-run homer in the second inning, and first baseman Jacob Walsh, who had a two-run homer of his own in the fifth.
Stoffal struck out nine in four innings of work. The Oregon bullpen combined for five scoreless relief innings.
UCLA starter Jake Brooks absorbed the loss, falling to 2-2 on the year. He yielded six runs on six hits over 5 1/3 innings, walking none and striking out three. Freshman lefty Ben Jacobs tossed a 1-2-3 eighth inning, recording his first-career strikeout to end the frame.
The Bruins and Ducks continue the series on Saturday afternoon at 2:05 p.m. PT.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Dallas, Matt (1-0)
L: Brooks, Jake (2-2)
Batting:
HR: Vaughns, JonJon 1 ; Salgado, AJ 1
RBI: Vaughns, JonJon 1 ; Salgado, AJ 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Vaughns, JonJon 1 ; Salgado, AJ 1
HBP: Holman, Jack 1
Batting:
2B: Smith, Tanner 1
HR: Walsh, Jacob 1 ; Diodati, Owen 1
RBI: Ceballos, Sabin 1 ; Walsh, Jacob 2 ; Diodati, Owen 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Smith, Tanner 1 ; Nishida, Rikuu 1 ; Walsh, Jacob 1 ; Shade, Colby 1 ; Diodati, Owen 1 ; Grant, Gavin 1
SB: Nishida, Rikuu 1
HBP: Smith, Tanner 1 ; Shade, Colby 2 ; Grant, Gavin 1
