LOS ANGELES – A seventh-inning grand slam by UC Irvine's Caden Kendle broke open a tie game and gave the No. 20 Anteaters a 5-2 win over UCLA in the second game of the Dodger Stadium College Baseball Classic.
UCLA (5-5) tied the game at one in the fifth inning on an RBI groundout by Duce Gourson, but the Anteaters (9-0) broke it open in the top of the seventh with Kendle's bases-clearing home run. The Bruins trimmed the lead to 5-2 in the eighth on a Roman Martin RBI single but could not capitalize on a bases loaded opportunity later in the inning. UCLA also had runners on second and third in the bottom of the ninth, but Anteater reliever Ricky Tibbett struck out JonJon Vaughns to end the game.
The Anteaters grabbed the early lead on a leadoff home run by Myles Smith and had runners on first and second with no outs after a pair of singles, but Bruin starter Michael Barnett got out of the inning with no further damage by inducing a pop-up and groundout. UC Irvine threatened to tack on more in the fifth inning after a one-out double down the left field line by Abraham Garcia-Pacheco, but he was left stranded at second after a sharp flyout to center fielder AJ Salgado and a groundout to third.
Salgado helped the Bruins get on the board in the bottom of the fifth when he led off with a double to left center and advanced to third on a bunt by Jarrod Hocking. With the left-handed Gourson on deck, the Anteaters brought in lefty reliever Ricky Ojeda to replace starter Trevor Hansen. Although Ojeda got ahead in the count, Gourson won the lefty-lefty battle, hitting an RBI grounder to short, bringing Salgado home to tie the game at 1-1.
A hit batter and an error contributed to UC Irvine's big seventh inning. UCLA reliever Luke Rodriguez got one out before hitting Garcia-Pacheco. Nate Leibold was brought in in relief but gave up a single to Smith, and Woody Hadeen reached on an error on a sacrifice bunt to load the bases for Kendle. The Anteater right fielder powered his first home run of the season just over the reach of Salgado to put the Anteaters ahead, 5-1.
The Bruins rallied with two outs in the bottom of the eighth. Martin hit a RBI single that plated Roch Cholowsky, who had reached on an error, and the Bruins loaded the bases after a bloop single to left by Cashel Dugger and a walk to Salgado. But UCI brought in Tibbett to face Hocking, and Tibbett struck him out swinging to end the threat.
UCLA threatened again in the bottom of the ninth, putting two runners on with one out on a single by Cody Schrier and walk by Jack Holman. Roch Cholowsky advanced Schrier to third on a fielder's choice and stole second, but, similar to the eighth inning, Tibbett ended the threat with a strikeout, the Anteaters' 11th of the contest.
Barnett pitched five solid innings for the Bruins, allowing five hits and one run. Ojeda earned the win for the Anteaters after pitching 2.1 innings and allowing no runs and striking out three. Tibbett recorded the save, his third of the season, while Rodriguez picked up the loss for UCLA in a one-run, two-strikeout outing over 1.1 innings.
UCLA will next play at Long Beach State on Tuesday, March 5 at 6pm.
UCLA (5-5) tied the game at one in the fifth inning on an RBI groundout by Duce Gourson, but the Anteaters (9-0) broke it open in the top of the seventh with Kendle's bases-clearing home run. The Bruins trimmed the lead to 5-2 in the eighth on a Roman Martin RBI single but could not capitalize on a bases loaded opportunity later in the inning. UCLA also had runners on second and third in the bottom of the ninth, but Anteater reliever Ricky Tibbett struck out JonJon Vaughns to end the game.
The Anteaters grabbed the early lead on a leadoff home run by Myles Smith and had runners on first and second with no outs after a pair of singles, but Bruin starter Michael Barnett got out of the inning with no further damage by inducing a pop-up and groundout. UC Irvine threatened to tack on more in the fifth inning after a one-out double down the left field line by Abraham Garcia-Pacheco, but he was left stranded at second after a sharp flyout to center fielder AJ Salgado and a groundout to third.
Salgado helped the Bruins get on the board in the bottom of the fifth when he led off with a double to left center and advanced to third on a bunt by Jarrod Hocking. With the left-handed Gourson on deck, the Anteaters brought in lefty reliever Ricky Ojeda to replace starter Trevor Hansen. Although Ojeda got ahead in the count, Gourson won the lefty-lefty battle, hitting an RBI grounder to short, bringing Salgado home to tie the game at 1-1.
A hit batter and an error contributed to UC Irvine's big seventh inning. UCLA reliever Luke Rodriguez got one out before hitting Garcia-Pacheco. Nate Leibold was brought in in relief but gave up a single to Smith, and Woody Hadeen reached on an error on a sacrifice bunt to load the bases for Kendle. The Anteater right fielder powered his first home run of the season just over the reach of Salgado to put the Anteaters ahead, 5-1.
The Bruins rallied with two outs in the bottom of the eighth. Martin hit a RBI single that plated Roch Cholowsky, who had reached on an error, and the Bruins loaded the bases after a bloop single to left by Cashel Dugger and a walk to Salgado. But UCI brought in Tibbett to face Hocking, and Tibbett struck him out swinging to end the threat.
UCLA threatened again in the bottom of the ninth, putting two runners on with one out on a single by Cody Schrier and walk by Jack Holman. Roch Cholowsky advanced Schrier to third on a fielder's choice and stole second, but, similar to the eighth inning, Tibbett ended the threat with a strikeout, the Anteaters' 11th of the contest.
Barnett pitched five solid innings for the Bruins, allowing five hits and one run. Ojeda earned the win for the Anteaters after pitching 2.1 innings and allowing no runs and striking out three. Tibbett recorded the save, his third of the season, while Rodriguez picked up the loss for UCLA in a one-run, two-strikeout outing over 1.1 innings.
UCLA will next play at Long Beach State on Tuesday, March 5 at 6pm.