UCLA
12-19, 5-11
Washington
10-16-1, 4-9
Bruins Edged, 5-4, in Washington Opener
April 12, 2024 | Baseball
SEATTLE โ The UCLA baseball team built an early 4-0 lead, but ultimately allowed five unanswered runs as Washington recorded a 5-4 win in walk-off fashion in Friday's Pac-12 series opener at Husky Ballpark.
With the score tied at 4-4 heading into the ninth, Washington (10-16-1, 4-9 Pac-12) quickly got in business after getting its first two batters of the bottom half aboard.
UCLA (12-19, 5-11) reliever JonJon Vaughns bounced back to retire the next two Husky batters and get them down to their final out of the inning. However, UW would go on to win the game on the next play as nine-hitter Blake Wilson pulled a grounder deep into the 5-6 hole, forcing UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky to make a tough throw that couldn't keep first baseman Jack Holman on the bag, allowing pinch-runner Cooper Whitton to score from third on the error.
Washington had previously tied the game at 4-4 on a three-run homer from AJ Guerrero in the sixth inning.
Guerrero's homer spoiled what had been a standout outing for UCLA starter Luke Jewett, who struck out a career-high nine batters over 5 2/3 innings.
The two opening batters of the game reached base against Jewett, but he escaped the opening frame with a zero while setting into quite the groove, ultimately punching out eight batters over his first three innings alone. He got a pair of Ks to get out of that first inning unscathed, and then went on to fan the side in both the second and third.
Washington cashed in a two-out double in the fourth to get on the board against Jewett, and then put three more up in the sixth after Jewett had departed the game.
UCLA scored the first four runs of the game, starting in the very first inning. Redshirt junior right fielder AJ Salgado opened the contest with a triple into the left-center gap, eventually scoring on a Roman Martin sac fly.
The Bruins built the lead with a three-spot in the third. Holman was central to that rally, lofting a fly ball over the left fielder's head for a two-run triple with two outs, and later scoring after freshman third baseman Mulivai Levu pulled a grounder through the right side for an RBI single.
Vaughns was a tough-luck loser for the Bruins, allowing just three hits and no earned runs over three complete innings. He struck out a pair.
UCLA and Washington continue the series on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. PT.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Cunningham, Grant (2-2)
L: Vaughns, JonJon (1-1)
Batting:
2B: Cholowsky, Roch 1
3B: Salgado, AJ 1 ; Holman, Jack 1
RBI: Martin, Roman 1 ; Holman, Jack 2 ; Levu, Mulivai 1
SF: Martin, Roman 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Salgado, AJ 1 ; Gourson, Duce 1 ; Martin, Roman 1 ; Holman, Jack 1
HBP: Gourson, Duce 1
Batting:
2B: DeCarlo, Sam 1 ; Wilson, Blake 1
HR: Guerrero, AJ 1
RBI: Guerrero, AJ 3
SH: DeCarlo, Sam 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Arquette, Aiva 1 ; Guerrero, AJ 1 ; Whitton, Cooper 1 ; DeCarlo, Sam 1 ; Wilson, Blake 1
SB: Terry, Braeden 1
