UCLA
22-12-1, 9-6-1
USC
23-14-1, 10-7
Bruins Fall in Middle Game at USC, 5-1
April 22, 2023 | Baseball
LOS ANGELES โ Behind 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball from starting pitcher Caden Aoki, USC notched a series-evening 5-1 win over No. 22 UCLA on Saturday night at Dedeaux Field.
The contest was a pitcher's duel in the first half, with Jack Holman's solo home run in the fourth representing the only run for either team through five complete innings. However, USC (23-14-1, 10-7 Pac-12) broke through for five runs in the sixth and held on to that lead to set up a Sunday rubber match with the Bruins (22-12-1, 9-6-1).
UCLA sophomore righty Alonzo Tredwell matched Aoki in the early going, striking out six and putting up zeroes in each of his first five innings of work.
The Trojans ultimately got to him in the sixth, with most of the damage coming on a Carson Wells double that knotted the game at 1-1 followed by a go-ahead two-run homer from cleanup man Johnny Olmstead.
Tredwell was excellent early on in the game, facing the minimum four times out of his first five frames. He got a little help from his defense during that run, inducing an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play in the first and having his battery-mate Darius Perry throw out a pair of would-be base stealers in the fourth.
Perry ended his night with three runners caught stealing after executing a strike-'em-out, throw-'em-out double play in the seventh. The Whittier, Calif. native extended his league lead in that category, now sitting at 16 runners caught stealing on the season.
Holman opened the game's scoring on Saturday with a solo blast in the fourth inning, teeing off an 0-1 off-speed pitch from Aoki and sending it into the netting above the right field fence. It was his seventh roundtripper of the year, and third in the last five games.
Sophomore center fielder Malakhi Knight paced the Bruins with two hits in the contest, his seventh multi-hit effort in the last nine games.
UCLA and USC decide the series on Sunday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. PT. The game will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Aoki, Caden (3-0)
L: Tredwell, Alonzo (4-2)
Batting:
HR: Holman, Jack 1
RBI: Holman, Jack 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Holman, Jack 1
Batting:
2B: Wells, Carson 1
HR: Olmstead, Johnny 1
RBI: Wells, Carson 1 ; Olmstead, Johnny 2 ; Jackson, Ryan 2
SH: Grudzielanek, Bryce 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Overn, Austin 1 ; Wells, Carson 1 ; Olmstead, Johnny 1 ; Gabrielson, Cole 1 ; Aoki, Connor 1
CS: Wells, Carson 1 ; Olmstead, Johnny 1 ; Gabrielson, Cole 1
HBP: Olmstead, Johnny 1 ; Gabrielson, Cole 1
