UCLA
23-14-1, 9-8-1
Stanford
27-12, 14-5
UCLA Edged in Stanford Series Opener, 6-5
April 28, 2023 | Baseball
STANFORD, Calif. โ UCLA scored in each of its final three offensive innings, but saw its comeback bid fall just short in a series-opening 6-5 loss to Stanford on Friday night at Sunken Diamond.
The Bruins (23-14-1, 9-8-1 Pac-12) trailed 3-0 through six innings, but scored two runs apiece in both the eighth and ninth to set up a photo finish with the Cardinal (27-12, 14-5). A three-spot from the hosts in the seventh would ultimately hold up, as UCLA would leave the game-tying run aboard in the ninth.
Junior second baseman Daylen Reyes went 3-5 with a double and an RBI to lead the Bruins on offense. Senior catcher Darius Perry (2-3, double, RBI) and sophomore shortstop Duce Gourson (2-5) added multi-hit efforts.
Junior righty Jake Brooks did his part to battle Stanford ace Quinn Mathews in a Friday night duel, striking out seven and throwing a season-high 111 pitches while working into the seventh.
After being stymied by Mathews over the first two-thirds of the game, UCLA got to him for two in the seventh. Both of those runs came across with two outs, as junior right fielder Carson Yates stroked a double into the left-center field gap to spark the two-spot. He came across on an RBI bloop single from graduate DH Knox Loposer, who was in turn driven in on a base knock to center by Reyes.
Another clutch double โ this time from freshman center fielder Malakhi Knight โ set the table for another two-run inning in the eighth, as, the two-bagger gave UCLA two runners in scoring position with just one out. Perry cashed in the first of those runners with a single through the left side, and Knight would come across on a wild pitch with freshman left fielder Jarrod Hocking at the plate.
UCLA got agonizingly close to tying the game, or even going ahead, in the ninth. The Bruins first got into action after back-to-back one-out singles from Reyes and Gourson put runners on the corners.
From there, junior third baseman Kyle Karros lofted a fly ball to right field, allowing Reyes to score on the sac fly. The next batter, sophomore first baseman Jack Holman, barreled up a 1-1 offering from Stanford's Ryan Bruno and sent it flying towards dead center field, but it was tracked down on the warning track for the final out of the game.
Stanford had eight of its nine starters record at least one hit on Friday, including a two-hit, two-run effort from leadoff man Eddie Park. Mathews picked up the win for the Cardinal, striking out 10 over 7 1/3 innings.
UCLA and Stanford continue the series on Saturday afternoon at 2:05 p.m. PT.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Mathews, Quinn (5-3)
L: Brooks, Jake (5-4)
S: Bruno, Ryan (4)
Batting:
2B: Reyes, Daylen 1 ; Knight, Malakhi 1 ; Yates, Carson 1
RBI: Reyes, Daylen 1 ; Karros, Kyle 1 ; Perry, Darius 1 ; Loposer, Knox 1
SH: Hocking, Jarrod 1
SF: Karros, Kyle 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Reyes, Daylen 1 ; Karros, Kyle 1 ; Knight, Malakhi 1 ; Yates, Carson 1 ; Loposer, Knox 1
HBP: Knight, Malakhi 1 ; Perry, Darius 1
Batting:
2B: Park, Eddie 1 ; Troy, Tommy 1 ; Montgomery, Braden 1
RBI: Park, Eddie 1 ; Graham, Carter 1 ; Troy, Tommy 1 ; Montgomery, Braden 1 ; Moore, Malcolm 1
SF: Moore, Malcolm 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Park, Eddie 2 ; Graham, Carter 1 ; Montgomery, Braden 1 ; Rios, Alberto 1 ; Cobb, Owen 1
SB: Graham, Carter 1 ; Rios, Alberto 1
