UCLA Baseball Fails to Close Out Sweep, Takes 2 of 3 on the Road Against Utah

The Bruins' long run of one-run contests continued another week, but their final comeback effort fell just short.

(Photo Courtesy of UCLA Athletics)

Over the past few weeks, the Bruins have climbed higher and higher in the standings and rankings despite a long stretch of tight contests.

The blue and gold managed to string together an eight-game winning streak, with the final six of those wins all coming by a single run. One of those streaks came to a close Sunday afternoon, as the Utes finally got the better of the Bruins in Salt Lake City.

No. 15 UCLA baseball (22-9, 8-4 Pac-12) eked out tight wins over Utah (18-13-1, 5-7) on Friday and Saturday by scores of 6-5 and 4-3, respectively. In the series finale, the Bruins were unable to complete the sweep, though, losing 7-6.

All three wins in UCLA's sweep over Oregon, plus their midweek victory against LMU on Tuesday, were one-run ballgames, with either the Bruin bats or bullpen coming through in the clutch each and every time. That continued into Friday, when UCLA trailed Utah 5-1 through six innings.

Sophomore right-hander Jake Brooks allowed five extra-base hits and five earned runs in his 6.2-inning road outing, all while his offense had stranded seven men aboard. Freshman shortstop Cody Schrier launched a solo homer in the seventh to make it a three-run game, though, and Brooks handed things off to a spotless bullpen.

Junior left-hander Jake Saum and redshirt sophomore right-hander Kelly Austin combined to allow just one baserunner in 3.1 innings of scoreless relief work. Meanwhile, the Utes' bullpen took the torch from Matthew Sox and proceeded to flush his quality start down the drain.

Two walks and a hit-by-pitch to start the eighth loaded the bases for junior designated hitter Josh Han, who slapped a single to left and drove in two. Graduate outfielder Kenny Oyama stole third once sophomore Daylen Reyes came in to pinch hit, and Reyes took advantage by tying things up with a sacrifice fly to cap off his 12-pitch at-bat.

Freshman second baseman Ethan Gourson had a chance to score the winning run in the ninth after a one-out double, but he was stranded and the game went to extras. Sophomore center fielder Carson Yates' leadoff double in the 10th would not go wasted, on the other hand, as he came around to score on a wild pitch.

Austin sat the Utes down in order to secure the win, and the Bruins had opened up the road series with a victory.

Despite Utah scoring to go up 1-0 in the second on Saturday, UCLA would not have to dig itself out of as big a hole the second time around.

Sophomore right-hander Max Rajcic limited the damage all afternoon long, tossing 105 pitches across 6.0 innings. There was plenty of action on the basepaths, but Rajcic punched out eight and stranded seven runners to avoid much of the possible damage.

While Rajcic was working his way in and out of jams, the Bruins' offense gave him a healthy dose of run support. With Yates on base, Reyes knocked a two-run homer to left with one down in the fourth, then it was Yates who picked up the two-RBI single to make it 4-1 in the fifth.

That was all the scoring UCLA would do Saturday, and it turned out to be all they needed. After junior right-hander Charles Harrison got the first two outs of the seventh, coach John Savage brought in freshman right-hander Ethan Flanagan to close things out.

Flanagan would run into some trouble in the eighth, allowing a walk, double and RBI groundout to open the frame, and he made things close once again in the ninth. Utah had the tying run on third and winning run on second with just one down in the final inning, but Savage stuck with Flanagan regardless.

First picking up a strikeout, then inducing a fly out with the bases loaded, Flanagan escaped the integral jam and secured the seven-out save.

Sunday's finale featured two ties and four lead changes, the last of which did not end in UCLA's favor.

Freshman left-hander Gage Jump, making his first collegiate start, walked onto the mound boasting a 1.80 ERA with two saves and a win under his belt. The top of Utah's lineup gave the southpaw fits in the first, though, with their top three batters combining for a single, double, stolen base and home run all before Gage was able to record an out.

Sophomore right fielder JonJon Vaughns and Reyes got things going in the top of the second with a pair of singles, looking to scratch back some of those early runs. Vaughns scored on a wild pitch and Reyes made it home on a single by junior catcher Darius Perry, narrowing the gap to one.

Graduate first baseman Jake Palmer scored Perry and Reyes on a single through the left side that put UCLA up 4-3.

Harrison entered the game for Jump later in the second, and the only damage he allowed in his 3.0-inning long relief outing was a game-tying solo shot by left fielder TJ Clarkson in the third. Senior left-hander Daniel Colwell took over from there, recording four straight outs to escape the fifth and slice his way through the sixth.

With Colwell making quick work of the Utes, the Bruins' offense took advantage by retaking the lead in the sixth. Perry drove in Reyes on a single to right and Schrier doubled in Perry on a gapper to left-center, making it a 6-4 lead for UCLA.

Colwell allowed a single and hit-by-pitch to open the bottom half of the seventh, forcing Savage to yank him in favor of redshirt freshman right-hander Chris Aldrich with one down. Aldrich allowed singles to the first to batters he faced, and Utah had tied it up just four pitches after Colwell left the mound.

Saum came in for Aldrich, inheriting those two runners, and after a wild pitch and intentional walk, he too gave up an ill-timed run. Saum walked in the go-ahead and ultimately game-winning run on a seven-pitch at-bat, and then it was his turn to get yanked.

Austin retired all four batters he faced from that point on, but the Bruins were already facing a late-game deficit. After going down 1-2-3 in the eighth, Gourson got aboard with a one-out single to right.

Sophomore third baseman Kyle Karros ripped one that was bound for the left-center gap, potentially giving Gourson enough time to score all the way from first, but shortstop Matt Richardson leapt in front of the liner and doubled up Gourson at first to end the game.

The close-game magic may have run out for the Bruins in that particular moment, but the team has still won 11 of their last 13.

After going to Pepperdine for a midweek showdown Tuesday night, UCLA will return to Jackie Robinson Stadium to take on Stanford in a three-game series between conference contenders.

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