| Baseball |
|---|
| USC — 4 |
| UCLA — 10 |
The No. 1 UCLA Bruins (29-2, 15-0 Big Ten) finished off the series against the No. 12 USC Trojans (27-6, 10-5 Big Ten) with a 10-4 win Sunday. The outcome remained uncertain for much of the game before UCLA pulled away late to extend its lead. From home runs to an ejection, the rivalry game kept both Trojan and Bruin fans on the edge of their seats.
On Sunday, the Bruins hosted crosstown rival Trojans for the third and final game of the weekend series.
Junior left fielder Dean West led off the bottom of the first inning for UCLA. He hit a home run to right field, giving the Bruins an early 1-0 lead. It was his third home run of the season.
Still in the first inning, redshirt junior right fielder Payton Brennan was hit by a pitch and advanced to first base, while junior first baseman Mulivai Levu moved to second. Junior center fielder Will Gasparino later struck out to end the inning.
In the second inning, USC’s Augie Lopez hit a solo home run to left field to tie the game at 1-1. Kevin Takeuchi later singled and reached first when UCLA failed to field the ball cleanly.
In the bottom of the third inning, UCLA extended its lead. Junior shortstop Roch Cholowsky singled and reached first base. Levu reached on a fielder’s choice to second, with Cholowsky advancing to second. Brennan then singled, allowing Cholowsky and Levu to advance.
With the bases loaded, Gasparino walked, bringing Cholowsky home to give UCLA the lead. Levu moved to third and Brennan to second. Junior catcher Cashel Dugger then grounded out to third base to end the inning.
The fourth inning was scoreless for both teams.
In the fifth inning, USC took its only lead of the game. Maximo Martinez was hit by a pitch, allowing him to go to first base and Diego Velazquez later walked, putting them on first and second base. UCLA then replaced junior right-handed pitcher Landon Stump with senior right-handed pitcher Jack O’Connor. After a defensive play, both runners advanced to scoring position. USC reached a throwing error by the third baseman, allowing Martinez and Velazquez to score. The Trojans led 3-2, while UCLA trailed.
UCLA immediately responded in the bottom of the fifth inning. Levu was able to tie the game with a solo home run to right field. Moments later, junior third baseman Roman Martin singled and Gasparino followed with a home run to left field. Both of them scored, giving UCLA a 5-3 lead.
USC closed the gap to 5-4 in the top of the sixth on an unearned run, but that would be their final run of the game.
In the bottom half, Cholowsky singled, and Levu delivered again with a home run to center field, extending UCLA’s lead to 7-4.
The seventh inning was scoreless. In the eighth inning, USC put pressure on with a double to left-center field, but the Bruins didn’t allow any further damage. The next two batters struck out.
UCLA put the game out of reach in the bottom of the eighth. Junior second baseman Phoenix Call reached on a walk, and West followed with a single, advancing Call to second. Cholowsky then hit a home run to center field, driving in three RBIs and extending the lead to 10-4.
Gasparino later struck out in the inning to which he and Bruin fans disagreed. He was ejected after arguing the call. USC was unable to score in the top of the ninth, and UCLA secured the 10-4 victory to complete the series sweep.
The Bruins will go on the road to face Cal State Fullerton on April 7 at 6 p.m. PST, looking to extend their winning streak to 24.
