UCLA
19-8, 8-5
Utah
11-18, 3-11
UCLA Shuts Out Utah, Claims First Walk-Off Win of 2023
April 07, 2023 | Baseball
LOS ANGELES – Junior right fielder JonJon Vaughns shot an RBI base hit through the left side in the bottom of the 12th inning to deliver UCLA a 1-0 walk-off win over Utah in 12 innings on Friday night at Jackie Robinson Stadium.
The breakthrough knock ended a scoreless stalemate between the Bruins (19-8, 8-5 Pac-12) and Utes (11-18, 3-11) and sealed the series win for UCLA following Thursday's 5-3 result.
Vaughns's single capped a streak of four consecutive Bruins reaching base to open up the 12th inning.
Freshman outfielder Keenan Proctor set the table for the rally after reaching base on a drag-bunt single to open the inning. It marked the first-career hit for Proctor in three at-bats.
The Bruins really got into business when the next batter, Josh Hahn, laid down a sac bunt. The charging Utah third baseman tried to get the force play at second base, but skipped his throw, starting a sequence of back-to-back errant throws that put runners at second and third for UCLA with nobody out.
The Utes opted to intentionally walk pinch-hitter Kyle Karros – making his first appearance since Mar. 19 – which loaded the bags with nobody out for Vaughns. He didn't wait long to put the ball in play, going the opposite way on the first pitch of the AB and sending into the 5-6 hole for the game-winner.
WALK-OFF FINAL: UCLA 1, Utah 0
— UCLA Baseball (@UCLABaseball) April 8, 2023
JonJon Vaughns walks it off with a base hit in the bottom of the 12th!#GoBruins pic.twitter.com/AlhZNuf1KP
UCLA pitchers combined for 12 shutout innings, allowing just nine hits and one walk.
Starter Jake Brooks did most of the lifting, going six scoreless while striking out four. He scattered five hits over his outing, never allowing Utah to get a runner to third base with him on the mound.
A trio of relievers chipped in two innings apiece to complete the game, and several had to make big pitches to escape potential jams.
Freshman righty Cody Delvecchio, fresh off his first-career save earlier this week against Long Beach State, got three consecutive batters after being summoned following a leadoff double in the seventh. He then shook off a leadoff single in the eighth to get another zero.
Sophomore righty Luke Jewett negated a leadoff double of his own in the ninth inning, getting a pair of strikeouts before inducing an inning-ending groundout. He followed with a quick 1-2-3 tenth inning.
Senior Charles Harrison went the rest of the way, stranding a pair in the 11th and getting back-to-back strikeouts to leave a runner in scoring position in the 12th. He received the win to move to 1-0 on the year.
Vaughns, sophomore center fielder Malakhi Knight, and senior catcher Darius Perry each had two hits for the Bruins. Perry also doubled in the 11th inning, the Bruins' lone extra-base hit of the contest.
UCLA's best opportunity to score in regulation came during the fifth, when Carson Yates reached on a leadoff single before moving to third with one out on a sac bunt and stolen base. However, the Bruins couldn't capitalize on two opportunities to drive him in.
Utah was led offensively by first baseman Jayden Kiernan, who was 2-5 with a double. Starter Bryson Van Sickle tossed 5 1/3 shutout innings.
The Bruins and Utes conclude the series on Saturday afternoon at 12:00 p.m. PT.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Harrison, Charles (1-0)
L: Ashman, Micah (1-1)
Batting:
2B: Clarkson, TJ 1 ; Kiernan, Jayden 1
SH: Gurney, Cameron 1
Base Running:
SB: Webster, Bruer 2
CS: Kiernan, Jayden 1
HBP: Duffalo, Dakota 1
Batting:
2B: Perry, Darius 1
RBI: Vaughns, JonJon 1
SH: Hocking, Jarrod 2 ; Bythewood, Toussaint 1 ; Hahn, Josh 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Proctor, Keenan 1
SB: Yates, Carson 1
