UCLA baseball falls in 13 innings to end season

PItcher Jon Olsen went 7 2/3 innings against San Diego State as the Bruins lost in 13 innings. (Photo Katie Meyers/UCLA Athletics)

UCLA was one of the last teams into the NCAA tournament and it will be one of the first ones out as the Bruins fell in a 13-inning marathon to San Diego State on Saturday in the Long Beach Regional.

The Bruins (30-27) lost 3-2 in a five-hour game as they were swept in a postseason regional for the first time since 1986.

“We just needed a fly ball or a ground ball or a bleeder or a ball hit to the outfield,” head coach John Savage said. “I thought we pulled all the strings in the right way, we just couldn’t get it done.”

READ: SDSU scores game-winning run on bases-loaded hit-by-pitch

UCLA squandered two stellar games from Jon Olsen and Jake Bird on the mound by stranding 15 runners. Olsen went 7 2/3 innings as the starter, giving up four hits and two runs while striking out three and walking one. He allowed three hits and both runs in the second inning. Bird went 4 2/3 innings with two hits, one run and three strikeouts.

Griffin Canning reaches 300 strikeouts, but UCLA baseball drops NCAA opener

Pitcher Griffin Canning became the sixth pitcher in UCLA history to record 300 career strikeouts on Friday, but the Bruins lost 3-2 to Texas in the first round of the NCAA Long Beach Regional. (Photo by Don Liebig/UCLA Athletics)

Despite an outing that put Griffin Canning among the UCLA greats, the Bruins lost a tight 3-2 game to Texas in the first round of the Long Beach Regional on Friday at Blair Field.

Canning had six strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings as he became just the sixth UCLA pitcher to reach 300 career strikeouts. The junior has 301 for his career and was the first Bruin to eclipse the mark since Trevor Bauer and Gerrit Cole finish their careers in 2011.

READ: UCLA loses tight duel to Texas

Two errors in the seventh inning and two-out walk in the eighth cost the Bruins in the close game as the Longhorns scored once in each inning.  Continue reading “Griffin Canning reaches 300 strikeouts, but UCLA baseball drops NCAA opener” »

UCLA baseball starts NCAA tournament in Long Beach Regional

Jon Olsen progression into a reliable third starter has helped UCLA return to the NCAA tournament this year. (Photo courtesy Katie Meyers/UCLA Athletics)

Brett Stephens‘ days as a Bruin are winding down. But the senior left fielder is set on making these final days last as long as possible.

“We’re really proud of this team for getting to postseason because it’s hard to do,” he said before UCLA’s NCAA tournament opener against Texas on Friday at 4 p.m. “But we’re not done yet.”

The Bruins are the third seed in the Long Beach Regional. Host Long Beach State and San Diego State play in the second first-round game Friday at 8 p.m.

 

First baseman Sean Bouchard and pitchers Griffin Canning and Jon Olsen were named All-Pac-12 on Thursday. Canning will take the mound Friday in the regional opener after he was also named second-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball.

Olsen’s progression as a reliable third starter was a major catalyst for UCLA’s return to the postseason, head coach Jon Savage said. The 6-foot-3 righty was 6-0 in Pac-12 play.

Bouchard leads the team with 43 RBIs and nine home runs while hitting .305. It was the junior’s first all-conference honor.

Here’s the weekend schedule for the Long Beach Regional at Blair Field: Continue reading “UCLA baseball starts NCAA tournament in Long Beach Regional” »

Long ball leads UCLA softball into NCAA regional final

Delaney Spaulding hit her second home run in as many games to lead UCLA to a 10-2 win over San Jose State on Saturday. (Photo courtesy UCLA Athletics)

In two games, the UCLA softball team has scored 18 runs with seven home runs. The Bruins have yet to play a full seven-inning game while cruising to Sunday’s NCAA Los Angeles Regional final after they run-ruled San Jose State 10-1 in six innings Saturday.

Delanay Spaulding, Madeline Jelenicki and Brianna Tautalafua each hit two-run homers Saturday while Rachel Garcia added her sixth homer of the season.

Spaulding has a team-high five RBIs in the regional tournament so far.

With Saturday’s win, the Bruins are one victory away from their fourth straight Super Regional. They need one win Sunday against Cal State Fullerton to host next weekend’s Super Regional. The first game is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Easton Stadium with the second at 6:30 p.m. if necessary.

Full recap of UCLA’s win Saturday.

UCLA advances to first back-to-back Super Regional

LOS ANGELES — For much of the weekend, luck carried UCLA. There were hits that bounced off bases, that nicked past outstretched gloves, that swam unseen into the stadium lights.

The Bruins needed no breaks Sunday evening, punching a ticket to the first back-to-back Super Regional in program history. A flurry of early runs coupled with the most dominant pitching performance of the Los Angeles Regional gave UCLA an easy 6-0 win over San Diego and a weekend sweep.

“They’re a juggernaut here at Jackie Robinson Stadium,” USD coach Rich Hill said.

The first inning dragged out to nearly 40 minutes as UCLA battered Toreros starter Max Homick — a lefty who had closed a win over Cal Poly less than an hour ago. Despite facing a lineup loaded with six left-handed batters, the sophomore lasted just 1/3 innings as he saw his season ERA swell by half a run. Continue reading “UCLA advances to first back-to-back Super Regional” »