UCLA
27-22-1, 12-15-1
Arizona State
30-22, 15-13
Bruins Clinch Spot in Pac-12 Tourney With 6-3 Win at ASU
May 19, 2023 | Baseball
TEMPE, Ariz. โ The UCLA baseball team scored four runs early and never looked back in a 6-3 win over Arizona State on Friday night at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
The result evened the series at one game apiece between the Bruins (27-22-1, 12-15-1 Pac-12) and Sun Devils (30-22, 15-13).
Combined with other results from around the league, UCLA clinched a spot in the 2023 Pac-12 Baseball Tournament on Friday.
On the offensive side, junior DH Carson Yates (1-2) and senior catcher Darius Perry (1-5) had key RBI singles in the early innings for the Bruins, and sophomore shortstop Duce Gourson provided much-needed insurance with a two-run homer in the top of the ninth that closed the game's scoring.
On the mound, sophomore left-hander Ethan Flanagan turned in arguably his top start of the year to earn the win for UCLA, going a career-long six innings while allowing just two runs (both earned) on five hits with five strikeouts.
ASU was led by DH Jonny Weaver, who had a game-high three hits. Second baseman Luke Keaschall added an RBI double in the eighth inning that temporarily made it a one-run game.
The Bruins took advantage of a few ASU miscues to score in both the second and third innings en route to an early 4-0 lead.
Perry came across to score the game's first run in the second. He reached base after leading off with a comebacker that was thrown into right field by ASU starter Ross Dunn for a two-base error. He would later come around to score from second when Yates stroked a base hit back up the middle.
UCLA produced what turned out to be the game-winning run with a three-spot in the third. The Bruins got its first three runners of that frame on via two walks and a mis-played AJ Salgado sac bunt attempt. UCLA would go on to cash in each of those runners. Freshman left fielder Jarrod Hocking brought in the first run of the rally with an RBI groundout, and that was followed by a solid RBI single from Perry and a wild pitch that scored Gourson from third base with Kyle Karros at the plate.
While that offense turned out to be more sufficient for Flanagan and the UCLA bullpen, Gourson provided some cushion in the top of the ninth with his 10th home run of the season, crushing a hanging slider from ASU's Brock Peery and depositing it over the wall in right field.
Flanagan was strong throughout his outing on Friday, allowing a run in just one of his six frames. He started the game with a 1-2-3 bottom of the first, added another three-up, three-down frame in the fourth, and then bounced back from a leadoff single in the sixth to retire the next three batters and end his outing with the Bruins ahead 4-2.
From there, righties Chris Aldrich and Charles Harrison combined to limit ASU to just one run over the seventh and eighth innings, and freshman closer Cody Delvecchio sealed the win with a 1-2-3 ninth. It marked the third save of the year for Delvecchio.
UCLA and ASU will decide the series on Saturday afternoon at 12:00 p.m. PT on the Pac-12 Networks.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Flanagan, Ethan (2-1)
L: Dunn, Ross (4-6)
S: Delvecchio, Cody (3)
Batting:
HR: Gourson, Duce 1
RBI: Hocking, Jarrod 1 ; Gourson, Duce 2 ; Perry, Darius 1 ; Yates, Carson 1
SH: Reyes, Daylen 1 ; Salgado, AJ 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Hocking, Jarrod 1 ; Gourson, Duce 2 ; Perry, Darius 1 ; Vaughns, JonJon 1 ; Salgado, AJ 1
CS: Yates, Carson 1
HBP: Hocking, Jarrod 1 ; Vaughns, JonJon 1
Batting:
2B: Keaschall, Luke 1 ; Tobias, Jacob 1 ; Weaver, Jonny 1
RBI: Keaschall, Luke 1 ; Jackson, Isaiah 1 ; Vu, Kien 1
SF: Vu, Kien 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Campos, Ryan 1 ; Tobias, Jacob 1 ; Weaver, Jonny 1
CS: Vu, Kien 1
