UCLA
8-2
Sacramento State
6-3
Bruins Edge Sacramento State, 3-2
March 04, 2023 | Baseball
LOS ANGELES โ Sophomore second baseman Duce Gourson went 3-4 with a homer and a pair of RBIs to lead No. 12 UCLA past Sacramento State, 3-2, on Saturday afternoon at Jackie Robinson Stadium as part of the 2023 Southern California College Baseball Classic.
Gourson drove in the first two runs of the game for UCLA (8-2), wiping out an early 2-0 deficit. His game-tying base hit in the fifth inning was followed by an go-ahead RBI single from junior third baseman Kyle Karros. UCLA held the Hornets (6-3) off the board the rest of the way to preserve the win.
Sophomore right-hander Alonzo Tredwell went six strong on the mound to pick up the win for the Bruins. He allowed a two-run homer to Sac State left fielder Jeffery Heard in the fourth inning โ the first runs scored against Tredwell so far in 2023 โ but shut down the Hornets otherwise, racking up nine strikeouts and recording four separate 1-2-3 innings.
Freshman righty Michael Barnett and sophomore closer Luke Jewett closed out the final three innings of the game.
Barnett entered the contest to start the seventh, and retired the first five batters he faced in a row. He was lifted for Jewett after allowing a two-out single in the eighth, and Jewett needed just 13 pitches to mow through the final four outs of the game. It was his second save of the year.
UCLA didn't wait to respond after Sac State opened the scoring in the top of the fourth, with Gourson unloading on the second pitch of the bottom half and putting it off the batter's eye in center field for a solo home run. With the blast, Gourson moved into a four-way tie for the team lead in home runs with three.
The Bruins went ahead for good in the bottom of the fifth, rallying for a pair of runs. Gourson drove in the first run of that rally, going back up the middle to bring in Jack Holman from third base.
That knock chased Sac State starter Noah Lucchesi from the game, as the visitors summoned Jasper Nelson for a right-on-right matchup against Kyle Karros. The two battled for nine pitches, but Karros ultimately came out the victor, rolling one through the left side to score Cody Schrier from second base for the ultimate game-winning run.
UCLA had four players finish with multiple hits, as Gourson was joined by Karros (2-4, RBI), Carson Yates (2-4), and Jack Holman (2-4, run).
UCLA concludes the Southern California College Baseball Classic on Sunday, hosting USC starting at 2:30 p.m. PT. Sac State and Tulane will play a neutral contest at Jackie Robinson Stadium before the Bruin-Trojan match-up, with first pitch scheduled for 10:00 a.m. PT.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Tredwell, Alonzo (2-0)
L: Lucchesi, Noah (2-1)
S: Jewett, Luke (2)
Batting:
2B: Rolling, Josh 1
HR: Heard, Jeffery 1
RBI: Heard, Jeffery 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Gouldsmith, Gunner 1 ; Heard, Jeffery 1
CS: Aloy, Wehiwa 1
Batting:
HR: Gourson, Duce 1
RBI: Gourson, Duce 2 ; Karros, Kyle 1
SH: Loposer, Knox 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Schrier, Cody 1 ; Gourson, Duce 1 ; Holman, Jack 1
CS: Salgado, AJ 1
